Five-year course of schizophreniform disorder.

Roughly one-quarter of persons experiencing a first episode of psychosis and receiving a diagnosis of schizophreniform disorder recovered within 6 months of the onset of illness. Five years later, these 'true schizophreniform disorder' subjects were functioning better than others who experienced a first episode of schizophrenia or affective disorder. Although 40% of people with schizophrenia or affective disorder were rehospitalized at least once during the 5-year follow-up, none from the true schizophreniform disorder group reentered the hospital. Compared with people with schizophrenia, true schizophreniform disorder subjects had more positive symptoms, fewer negative symptoms, and more manic symptoms. Thus, a schizophrenia-like acute remitting psychosis has sufficiently unique clinical features to merit separate diagnostic classification.