what is the sequence of phases in the course of the schizophrenia?

by Luisa Oberbrunner 4 min read

The American Psychiatric Association (APA, 1999) recognizes four phases of schizophrenia. These are : 1) the prodromal phase 2) the acute phase 3) the stabilization phase 4) the stable or residual phase. However, in this article, we’ll talk about five phases, because we’ll differentiate the stable phase from the residual one.

Full Answer

What are the three phases of schizophrenia?

Research has identified schizophrenia to have three phases, these are as follows: 1 Prodromal. 2 Acute / active. 3 Residual.

What is the acute stage of schizophrenia?

The acute or active stage describes the period when someone is starting to show symptoms of schizophrenia that are psychotic in nature. These include delusions, hallucinations and/or extremely disorganised behaviour.

What is the residual phase of schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental illness whose symptoms usually occur in phases. Phase 1, when they start to show up, is called prodromal. In phase 2, the active stage, your symptoms are most noticeable. The last stage is the residual phase of schizophrenia.

What is the early prodromal phase of schizophrenia?

Each phase of schizophrenia has symptoms that help classify it. Though symptoms of active schizophrenia may seem to come on suddenly, the condition takes years to develop. In the early prodromal phase, symptoms aren’t always obvious, as you’ll see when you read about this first phase.

What are the 4 phases of schizophrenia?

Understanding the Phases of Schizophreniahallucinations.disordered thoughts.unorganized speech.departures or breaks from reality.

What are the 3 phases of schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental illness whose symptoms usually occur in phases. Phase 1, when they start to show up, is called prodromal. In phase 2, the active stage, your symptoms are most noticeable. The last stage is the residual phase of schizophrenia.

What is the course of schizophrenia?

The course of schizophrenia Some people have episodes of illness lasting weeks or months with full remission of symptoms between each episode; others have a fluctuating course in which symptoms are continuous; others again have very little variation in their symptoms of illness over the course of years.

What are 5 types of schizophrenia?

Types of schizophreniaParanoid schizophrenia. This is the most common type of schizophrenia. ... Hebephrenic schizophrenia. ... Catatonic schizophrenia. ... Undifferentiated schizophrenia. ... Residual schizophrenia. ... Simple schizophrenia. ... Unspecified schizophrenia.

What is the prodromal phase of schizophrenia?

Prodromal schizophrenia is the earliest stage of schizophrenia. Not all people with schizophrenia experience this phase. Hallmark symptoms of the prodromal stage include nervousness, anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, excessive worrying, and more.

What is the acute phase of schizophrenia?

The acute phase of schizophrenia is characterized by the presence of positive, negative and affective symptoms. After recovery, patients still may suffer distressing residual symptoms; they also carry a high risk of relapse which may be associated with further deterioration in their condition.

What does the prodromal stage mean?

The term "prodrome " refers to the early stage and symptoms of any condition. Here, a person might notice changes in the way they feel, think, or behave. However, they won't experience symptoms such as disorganized thought or behavior, hallucinations, or delusions.

What are the stages of psychosis?

The typical course of a psychotic episode can be thought of as having three phases: Prodrome Phase, Acute Phase, and Recovery Phase.

What is the course of an illness?

The course of a disease, also called its natural history, refers to the development of the disease in a patient, including the sequence and speed of the stages and forms they take.

What are the 6 types of schizophrenia?

There are actually several different types of schizophrenia depending on the person's symptoms, but generally, the main types of schizophrenia include paranoid schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, disorganized or hebephrenic schizophrenia, residual schizophrenia, and undifferentiated schizophrenia.

What are 5 causes of schizophrenia?

It can also help you understand what — if anything — can be done to prevent this lifelong disorder.Genetics. One of the most significant risk factors for schizophrenia may be genes. ... Structural changes in the brain. ... Chemical changes in the brain. ... Pregnancy or birth complications. ... Childhood trauma. ... Previous drug use.

How many types of schizophrenia do we have?

There are five different types of schizophrenia; all of which are determined by the symptoms shown by the patient. Paranoid schizophrenia is the most common subtype of schizophrenia in the United States and typically reveals itself during a person's teenage or young adulthood years.

How many phases of schizophrenia are there?

This article details the three phases of schizophrenia and the symptoms that appear in each. It also covers treatment options.

What is the active phase of schizophrenia?

In this stage of the condition, a person with schizophrenia will actively experience psychosis symptoms. 3

Why is it so hard to diagnose schizophrenia?

Making a diagnosis of schizophrenia is also tricky because the symptoms in this stage often mirror that of several other mental health conditions such as depression .

How to get support for people with schizophrenia?

Joining a support group in your area for people and the family of people living with schizophrenia is a great way to get support from people who understand what you are going through.

What is the best treatment for schizophrenia?

A combination of medication and psychotherapy is often used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia most effectively.

How to help someone with schizophrenia?

Psychotherapy like cognitive behavioral therapy and family intervention can also help people with schizophrenia manage their symptoms (especially negative symptoms like difficulty concentrating and lack of motivation ).

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental condition that severely disrupts a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

How many phases does schizophrenia have?

Research has identified schizophrenia to have three phases, these are as follows: It may sometimes seem as though schizophrenia suddenly develops out of nowhere, this, however, is not the case. There is no such thing as waking up one morning and have bouts of full-blown psychosis. The disease instead consists of psychotic symptoms ...

What is the acute stage of schizophrenia?

The acute or active stage describes the period when someone is starting to show symptoms of schizophrenia that are psychotic in nature. These include delusions, hallucinations and/or extremely disorganised behaviour. This stage represents the full development of schizophrenia – and it can be said that the disorder has ‘activated’.

How long does schizophrenia last?

If this stage is not treated, the symptoms can last from several weeks to months, or even indefinitely. For many people with schizophrenia, this stage is characterised by symptoms that are positive for schizophrenia i.e adding to the person’s personality.

What to do when you notice psychosis symptoms?

The best thing to do when you notice these symptoms is to get the person displaying them to a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. This first assessment will involve trying to determine when and how the symptoms began, questioning the patient and their family.

What is the first stage of a disease?

This is the first stage and refers to the period of a year before the illness begins to manifest. The term ‘prodrome’ , which is derived from ‘ prodromos ’ – a Greek term which means something that appears before an event, signalling the occurrence of the event. Medically, ‘prodrome’ refers to the initial symptoms of a condition, those that typically appear before the characterised symptoms begin to show.

Can a doctor diagnose schizophrenia?

The signs of this stage are not only specific to schizophrenia. They may also be linked to depression among other issues. This is the reason why doctors are unable to identify the first stage until the person has reached the active phase and this can then be done in retrospect. Psychotic symptoms usually need to be experienced in order for the doctor to diagnose schizophrenia at this stage.

Can you wake up one morning with psychosis?

There is no such thing as waking up one morning and have bouts of full-blown psychosis. The disease instead consists of psychotic symptoms that slowly start to appear, and the sufferer begins to show a way of thinking that is distorted and has difficulty relating to others.

What is the first stage of schizophrenia?

Prodromal: This is the first stage of schizophrenia. It occurs before noticeable psychotic symptoms appear. During this stage, a person undergoes behavioral and cognitive changes that can, in time, progress to psychosis.

Why do people move through the phases of schizophrenia?

However, the reasons why people move through the phases of schizophrenia remain unclear. A combination of environmental, genetic, and physiological factors may alter the brain’s structure and chemistry. These changes lead to schizophrenia.

What are the symptoms of residual schizophrenia?

Typically, people in this stage do not experience positive symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions. The residual stage is similar to the prodromal stage. People may experience negative symptoms, such as a lack of motivation, low energy, or depressed mood. Symptoms of residual schizophrenia include:

How many people with schizophrenia have a prodromal stage?

According to the authors of one 2018 review, up to 73% of people with schizophrenia experience the prodromal stage before they develop the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia.

What is schizophrenia treatment?

Schizophrenia is a complex, long-term condition that can significantly impact a person’s ability to function and maintain healthy relationships. Effective treatments are available that can help a person manage their symptoms and prevent relapses.

How many times more likely is schizophrenia to develop?

Genetics: According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), people with a family history of schizophrenia are six times more likely to develop the condition.

Why is it important to diagnose schizophrenia?

Diagnosing the stages of schizophrenia is important for an individual to receive the proper treatment to manage their condition. Schizophrenia is a chronic, or long-term, brain disorder that impacts the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. Schizophrenia is a complex condition that causes a wide range of cognitive and behavioral symptoms.

How many phases of schizophrenia are there?

The First 2 Phases of Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia tends to happen in episodes, in which you cycle through all three stages in order. These cycles are hard to stop without help from a doctor. In the first, prodromal phase, friends and family might notice strange behavior.

What is schizophrenia phase 1?

Medically Reviewed by Smitha Bhandari, MD on August 14, 2020. Schizophrenia is a mental illness whose symptoms usually occur in phases. Phase 1, when they start to show up, is called prodromal. In phase 2, the active stage, your symptoms are most noticeable.

What Are the Symptoms?

Schizophrenia is a type of psychosis. That means you can’t always tell the difference between what's real and what's a thought inside your head. Its symptoms can include:

What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a type of psychosis. That means you can’t always tell the difference between what's real and what's a thought inside your head. Its symptoms can include: 1 Hallucinations: You see or hear things that don’t exist 2 Delusions: Beliefs that aren’t based in reality 3 Muddled thoughts based on hallucinations or delusions 4 Problems speaking clearly 5 Lack of goal-oriented behavior 6 Trouble thinking through information or paying attention 7 Loss of interest in daily life 8 Bad hygiene 9 Desire to avoid people, even friends and family

What is the most alarming phase of psychosis?

The active phase (sometimes called “acute”), can be the most alarming to friends and family. It causes symptoms of psychosis like delusions, hallucinations, and jumbled speech and thoughts. Sometimes, this phase appears suddenly without a prodromal stage.

What is the recovery phase?

Doctors sometimes call this the “recovery” phase. In many ways, it mirrors the prodromal phase. The more intense symptoms, like hallucinations, start to fade. But you may still have some strange beliefs. You're also likely to withdraw into yourself and talk less.

How to treat schizophrenia early?

Some people have just one or two active episodes in their lives. A combination of medication, talk therapy, and other support can greatly improve mental health and quality of life.

How many stages of schizophrenic illness are there?

We can describe at least three stages in the development of a schizophrenic illness: the prodrome, the first episode and chronic phase. Each stage is reflected by anatomical and functional changes in the brain.

What is the staging model for schizophrenia?

There are two theories supporting the staging model for schizophrenia: the neurodevelopmental hypothesis and allostatic load concept. Both theories make a theoretical premise for creating the staging model for schizophrenia.

What is clinical staging?

Clinical staging is a tool useful in medical sciences. It assumes the presence of three key elements. Firstly, pathologic indices are progressing in subsequent stages. Secondly, the patients in the individual stages present similar pathological changes. Thirdly, treatment should be most effective in the earlier stages.

Prodromal phase

This is the first phase of schizophrenia. At this stage, the patient begins to experience the first symptoms of the disease, prior to the acute or active phase.

Stabilization phase

The stabilization phase is also called the recovery phase. At this stage, the psychotic symptoms decrease in intensity. This period begins once the previous phase has been resolved. It usually occurs when the patient begins to respond satisfactorily to treatment.

Residual phase

In this phase, the negative symptoms of schizophrenia appear to a variable degree. One of the possible complications in this phase is the appearance of post-outbreak depression. When depression appears, suicide prevention will be of vital importance.

Stable phase (asymptomatic)

The last phase of schizophrenia is the stable or asymptomatic phase. This is the ‘desired’ phase since, in it, the patient is stable and without symptoms (or they’re extremely mild). When symptoms do appear, they’re usually anxiety, depression, tension, and/or insomnia, according to the Therapeutic Guide for the Management of Schizophrenia.

What are the phases of schizophrenia?

There are three main phases – a prodromal phase, an acute phase and a stable phase. 1,2. The word prodromal refers to a period that happens before the first acute episode. The prodromal phase refers to the time ...

How many people with schizophrenia will never show symptoms?

In the image below, you can see how a person with schizophrenia may fall into any of these four patterns of disease. After one acute episode, one in five people will never show any more symptoms in their lifetime. Four in five people will instead have more acute episodes in the future.

What happens after the prodromal phase?

After the prodromal phase, the acute phase will normally begin. During this time, a person living with schizophrenia may have several positive symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions, which may cause them a lot of distress.

Does schizophrenia affect everyone?

Everyone who has schizophrenia will experience it differently. Presentation and severity of symptoms can vary, however they are likely to affect the personal

Is schizophrenia a clinical condition?

Schizophrenia has a diverse clinical profile depending on the individual and the stage. Accurate determination of the phase of the condition might help find the best treatment choice and management approach.

Does schizophrenia have a pattern?

Pattern1-2. Based on the phases, it may look like schizophrenia has a very predictable pattern – but unfortunately, it has quite a unique course of disease, and each person may have very different patterns of episodes and types of symptoms.

Can you diagnose psychotic symptoms before they are acute?

Diagnosis is not possible before the first acute psychotic symptoms according to up-to date guidelines. However detecting prodromal signs can be crucial in