Schizophrenic subsyndromes

Broad subtypes of schizophrenia have been identified. However the distinctions are more of academic than of diagnostic and prognostic significance.

Kraepelin's classification of subtypes (simple, hebephrenic, catatonic and paranoid) has been retained in both the ICD-10 and DSM III manuals, but its validity is doubtful, because:

• subtypes are indistinguishable genetically
• in general, these diagnoses describe a snapshot of an individual's schizophrenia rather than the whole course of their illness; one patient may present with different forms of the illness during his or her lifetime
• the subgroups are often not easily distinguishable clinically

Schizophrenia-like illness can occur in other psychiatric or organic illnesses. These range from the brief disorders, lasting by definition not longer than a month, to the schizoaffective disorders. They also appear as personality traits or disorders.