Differentiating schizophrenia from mood disorders with psychosis

Per the DSM-5, schizophrenia is diagnosed when:

• Psychotic symptoms are persistent and not caused by substances, medications, medical conditions, delirium, or neurocognitive disorders; timing of symptoms helps distinguish these other causes⁸
• Schizoaffective disorder and depressive or bipolar disorder with psychotic features are ruled out as major depressive or manic episodes were either absent during active psychosis or limited to a minority of the total illness duration⁸

Abbreviations: DSM-5=Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders; fifth revision

References:

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2.Parnas J. The core Gestalt of schizophrenia. World Psychiatry 2012; 11: 67–69.

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8.American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013.