Schneiderian versus Bleulerian schizophrenia and basic symptoms.

Using the 'polydiagnostic approach' method, the relationship between basic symptoms (BS) and Bleulerian and Schneiderian types of schizophrenia is studied. Eighty-six schizophrenic patients (RDC criteria) were studied using the Frankfurt Complaint Questionnaire for the evaluation of the BS. The patients were classified according to the type of symptoms predominant in Schneiderian (n = 32), Bleulerian (n = 12) and mixed (n = 42) schizophrenics. The patients with Schneiderian and mixed schizophrenia displayed more BS than those having Bleulerian schizophrenia. Significant differences (p less than or equal to 0.05) were found on the subscales of Perception (simple), Language, Memory, Motoric and Loss of automatism, in factors 1, 2 and 4, and in the total score. The results suggest that, from the perspective of the BS, Schneiderian schizophrenia is different from Bleulerian and that the BS may have the same production mechanisms as Schneider's FRS, the difference between them being in the different degree of phenomenological expression.