In Russian psychiatry the definition of therapeutic remission includes an interval from full recovery (symptomatic and functional) to marked deficit and can be divided on different clinical types according to leading psychopathology. A standardized concept of remission in schizophrenia, based on dimensional approach, has been proposed (low symptom threshold in the eight core Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale symptoms for at least 6 consecutive months). Recent studies devoted to validation of the international criteria found several limitations.

Analysis of limitations and combination of categorical and dimensional approaches allowed developing new standardized clinic- functional criteria of remission within two consecutive studies (1. population study of remission rate with 6-months follow-up period of symptomatic stability in two health care districts of an outpatient service (Moscow); 2. pharmacotherapeutic study in natural routine setting).

New criteria of therapeutic remission are based on PANSS and PSP scales providing specific symptom and symptomatic threshold according to ICD-10 diagnosis and contain 8 symptoms of international criteria. It has to note that episodic course with progressive deficit and remittent course of paranoid schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder were pooled in one remission group because of possibility to achieve minimal level and less for all chosen symptoms. Practically all positive symptoms were excluded from remission criteria for simple and residual schizophrenia. Validation of standardized clinic- functional criteria showed that they covered wider range of stable schizophrenic patients as compared to international criteria of remission and provide more realistic target for modern antipsychotic therapy according to various clinical types and courses of schizophrenia