DSM IV-TR AND CATEGORIES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PSYCHOSIS, AND LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT



DSM IV-TR and Categories of Schizophrenia and Psychosis, and Lifespan Development

DSM IV-TR is the psychiatric diagnostic system currently used in the U.S. and using clinicians and researchers around the world. It is the latest internationally accepted classification of psychiatric illness (American Psychiatric Association).

Major DSM IV-TR Categories of Schizophrenia

They are usually recognized five types of disorders schizophrenia: paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, and residual.

Paranoid schizophrenia

It can be regarded as the most common of all types of schizophrenia and is characterized by delusions and frequent auditory hallucinations (Brown & Susser, 2002).

Disorganized schizophrenia

This type of Schizophrenia is characterized by severe disintegration regressive behaviors starting at an early age.

Catatonic schizophrenia

The disturbance in the motor activity is the main characteristic of this type of schizophrenia. The catatonics that are excited are restless and hyperactive. People under the effect of this illness sleep little and are in such situation continuously until falling out exhausted (Cannon et.al, 2002).

Undifferentiated schizophrenia

Patients suffering from such an ailment have both positive and negative symptoms related to schizophrenia; nevertheless, they do not fit in the category of other types of schizophrenic disorders.

Residual schizophrenia

The in-differential schizophrenia is diagnosed when the person's symptoms are obviously schizophrenic but mixed or undifferentiated.

Psychosis

It is mental condition, which can be defined as the loss of contact of a patient from reality. A person in this condition may not be able to realize things in his surroundings and his life may encounter problems related to acceptance of unrealistic ideas (Hollandsworth, 1990).

There are three further classifications of psychosis which include hallucinations, delusions and psychotic disorders

Hallucinations

This can be defined as the developed sensory perception at a time when external stimuli is absent. At times, they are mistakenly related to illusions, which are in fact the ...