UNDIFFERENTIATED SCHIZOPHRENIA: CHARACTERISTICS, CAUSES, SYMPTOMS, DIAGNOSIS - ECONOMÍA - 2025

The schizophrenia undifferentiated is one of the five subtypes of schizophrenia described today. Specifically, this diagnostic entity is performed by discard. That is, subjects with undifferentiated schizophrenia are those who do not meet the requirements to be diagnosed with any of the four remaining subtypes of the pathology.

Despite being a particular subtype of the disease, undifferentiated schizophrenia shares many pathogenetic elements with the other subtypes and, therefore, constitutes a very serious and deteriorating pathology.

Schizophrenia is a serious and chronic psychiatric disorder that affects approximately 1% of the population. Although the most prototypical symptoms of this pathology are psychotic (delusions and hallucinations), schizophrenia can present a wide variety of manifestations.

For this reason, at present different types of schizophrenia have been established, which depend largely on the clinical picture that the subject presents.

Characteristics of undifferentiated schizophrenia

Undifferentiated schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disease that involves the presence of a wide variety of symptoms and manifestations.

It is classified as a psychotic disorder and has a chronic course that usually severely deteriorates the functioning and quality of life of the individual who suffers from it.

The general characteristics of the disorder are a mixture of peculiar signs and symptoms (both positive and negative) that have been present for a significant part of the time for a minimum period of one month.

Likewise, some signs of the disease must have persisted for at least six months to be able to make the diagnosis of undifferentiated schizophrenia.

The symptomatology of the disorder originates a marked dysfunction or deterioration in the social or work environment of the person. Likewise, the alteration suffered is not caused by the direct effects of a medical illness or the consumption of psychoactive substances.

Causes

Genetic factors

There is a genetic predisposition towards developing schizophrenia. Additionally, there are more mutations in people with schizophrenia, usually related to genes and chromosomes that affect neurodevelopment.

Physiological factors

Biological and chemical functions and alterations in brain development affect or contribute to a person suffering from undifferentiated schizophrenia.

Some of these factors are the malfunction of the limbic system, frontal cortex, basal ganglia and imbalance in neurotransmitters.

Also, during the birth process, if the fetus suffers a brain trauma or anoxia, it is more likely to be affected by this mental illness, since they directly damage brain development.

Psychosocial and environmental factors

The environment surrounding the individual, traumatic events, the family, and stressors such as the economy and social acceptance can trigger undifferentiated schizophrenia. Normally, for schizophrenia to appear, there will also have to be a genetic predisposition.

Symptoms

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder that can encompass a large number of different symptoms and manifestations.

It is a serious and chronic disorder that causes a suicide rate of 10% and requires at least one hospitalization in more than 50% of cases. Likewise, the disease is subject to high emotional and economic wear and tear, and is highly stigmatized in today's society.

On the other hand, schizophrenia is characterized by not presenting a single and specific clinical picture, so the symptoms may vary in each case.

For this reason, five subtypes of schizophrenia (paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, and residual) have been suggested. However, the clinical presentation of these subtypes, despite being more specific, also tends to vary in each case.

In this sense, several authors postulate the division of the symptoms of schizophrenia into five main dimensions:

Positive symptoms

They are the most typical of the disease and include two main symptoms: delusions or delusions and auditory, visual, tactile or olfactory hallucinations.

Negative symptoms

They are the other side of the symptomatology coin. They are characterized by being less noticeable than the positive symptoms but they affect the well-being and functionality of the subject more intensely and seriously.

Negative symptoms are formed by manifestations such as affective flattening, apathy, apathy, persevering thinking, poor language or blockages.

Disorganized symptoms

Disorganized symptoms refer to a series of manifestations directly visible in the patient's behavior. It is made up of signs such as disorganized language or behavior and inappropriate affectivity.

Symptoms of arousal

In some cases, schizophrenia causes manifestations of brain excitement or stimulation that are diagnosed in a different category than positive symptoms.

Affective symptoms

Finally, schizophrenia can also cause alterations in mood, causing depressive symptoms or a decrease in mood.

Diagnosis of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is characterized by the presentation of the following diagnostic criteria:

1- Characteristic symptoms: Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant part of a 1-month period (or less if successfully treated):

a) delusional ideas

b) hallucinations

c) disorganized language (eg, frequent derailment or incoherence)

d) catatonic or severely disorganized behavior

e) negative symptoms, for example, affective flattening, praise or apathy.

2- Social / work dysfunction: During a significant part of the time from the beginning of the disorder, one or more important areas of activity, such as work, interpersonal relationships or self-care, are clearly below the previous level at the beginning of the disorder

3- Duration: Continuous signs of the alteration persist for at least 6 months. This 6-month period should include at least 1 month of symptoms that meet the

4- Exclusion of schizoaffective and mood disorders.

5- Exclusion of substance use and medical illness.

6- Relationship with a pervasive developmental disorder: If there is a history of autistic disorder or another pervasive developmental disorder, the additional diagnosis of schizophrenia will only be made if the delusions or hallucinations also persist for at least 1 month

Diagnosis of undifferentiated schizophrenia

Undifferentiated schizophrenia is a subtype of the disease, so for its diagnosis the previous criteria must be met in a special way, in such a way that it allows to rule out the existence of another subtype of the disease.

The criteria to be carried out for the diagnosis of undifferentiated schizophrenia are:

1- Presence of a type of schizophrenia in which the symptoms of Criterion A are present, but which does not meet the criteria for the paranoid, disorganized or catatonic type.

2- Coding of the undifferentiated disorder according to its course:

a) Episodic with residual interepisodic symptoms

b) Episodic with non-interepisodic residual symptoms

c) Continuous

d) Single episode in partial remission

e) Single episode in total remission

f) Other or unspecified pattern

g) Less than 1 year from the onset of the first active phase symptoms

References

1. Barlow D. and Nathan, P. (2010) The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Psychology. Oxford University Press.
2. Caballo, V. (2011) Manual of psychopathology and psychological disorders. Madrid: Ed. Piramide.
3. DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2002). Barcelona: Masson.
4. Obiols, J. (Ed.) (2008). Manual of General Psychopathology. Madrid: New Library.
5. Sadock, B. (2010) Kaplan & Sadock pocket manual of clinical psychiatry. (5th Ed.) Barcelona: Wolters Kluwer.