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Langfeldt's Schizophreniform Psychoses Fifty Years Later

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

A. L. Mina Bergem
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oslo, PO Box 85, Vindern, 0319 Oslo 3, Norway
Alv A. Dahl
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oslo
Cato Guldberg
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oslo
Helge Hansen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oslo

Extract

As a result of follow-up studies published in 1937 and 1939, Langfeldt divided schizophrenia into two groups; ‘typical schizophrenia’ which had a poor outcome, and the ‘schizophreniform psychoses' which had a less typical clinical picture of schizophrenia and a good outcome. Langfeldt's cases of schizophreniform psychoses were reclassified according to the ICD–9 and DSM–III–R diagnostic systems. Most of the schizophreniform psychoses did not appear ‘schizophrenia-like’ at all, but turned out to be mainly affective disorders. Those included in Langfeldt's diagnosis of ‘schizophreniform psychoses' were found to be too heterogenous to validate the existence of this syndrome.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1990 

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