Annette,
To paraphrase the king of all sidekicks, Ed McMahon, to Johnny, "You are
correct, madam!"
By definition, in the current DSM-IV and since at least the DSM-III-R,
symptoms meeting criteria for up to 6 months earn a diagnosis of
Schizophreniform Disorder. Over the six, and you have Schizophrenia for
precisely the reason you mention, namely the distinction between acute and
process (chronic) forms of the disorder. And the expectation of different
prognoses still holds as well.
Which brings to mind the French aphorism, 'Plus �a change, plus c'est le
m�me chose.'
"The more things change, the more they remain the same."
Christian Hart, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Department of Behavioral Studies
Santa Monica College
-----Original Message-----
From: Annette Taylor [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 6:13 AM
To: Nina Tarner
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: various questions
On Tue, 3 Oct 2000, Nina Tarner wrote:
>
> Last week we were discussing various disorders and the book defines
> schizophrenia as a "...serious mental disorder that lasts for about six
> months and includes..." A student asked why the disorder only lasts for
> six months and what happens after that period of time?
My best guess is that it lasts at least 6 months before being considered
the "chronic" form of the disorder and if less than 6 months is considered
the "acute" form. We used to teach about these as type I and type II
(acute/chronic respectively) and that the acute had a better prognosis.
Any clinicians out there with direct experience who can clarify would
be appreciated!
annettte
Annette Taylor, Ph. D.
Department of Psychology E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
University of San Diego Voice: (619) 260-4006
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
"Education is one of the few things a person
is willing to pay for and not get."
-- W. L. Bryan
