The main symptoms of both schizophreniform disorder and schizophrenia may include:
delusions,
hallucinations,
disorganized speech resulting from formal thought disorder,
disorganized or catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms, such as
an inability to feel a range of emotions (flat affect),
an inability to experience pleasure (anhedonia),
impaired or decreased speech (aphasia),
a lack of desire to form relationships (asociality), and
a lack of motivation (avolition). Treatment
Various modalities of treatment, including pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and various other psychosocial and educational interventions, are used in the treatment of schizophreniform disorder. Pharmacotherapy is the most commonly used treatment modality as psychiatric medications can act quickly to both reduce the severity of symptoms and shorten their duration. The medications used are largely the same as those used to treat schizophrenia, with an atypical antipsychotic as the usual drug of choice. Patients who do not respond to the initial atypical antipsychotic may benefit from
being switched to another atypical antipsychotic, the addition of a mood stabilizer such as lithium or an anticonvulsant, or being switched to a typical antipsychotic.Treatment of schizophreniform disorder can occur in inpatient, outpatient, and partial hospitalization settings. In selecting the treatment setting, the primary aims are to minimize the psychosocial consequences for the patient and maintain the safety of the patient and others. While the need to quickly stabilize the patients symptoms almost always exists, consideration of the patients severity of symptoms, family support, and perceived likelihood of compliance with outpatient treatment can help determine if stabilization can occur in the outpatient setting.
In the United States and other developed countries, the incidence is low, possibly fivefold less than that of schizophrenia. In developing countries, the incidence is substantially higher, especially for the subtype "With Good Prognostic Features". In some of these settings schizophreniform disorder may be as common as schizophrenia. References
External links
Strakowski SM (June 1994). "Diagnostic validity of schizophreniform disorder". Am J Psychiatry. 151 (6): 815–24. doi:10.1176/ajp.151.6.815. PMID 8184991. Clinical Trials in Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective, or Schizophreniform Disorder 
Schizophreniform Disorder Patient information