Definition

1. Noun:
   • A subtype of schizophrenia: "Disorganized type schizophrenia" is a diagnostic category for a form of schizophrenia. Its primary features include a severe disintegration of personality, which manifests in erratic speech, childish mannerisms, and bizarre behavior. It typically has an onset around puberty and has historically been one of the most common diagnoses in psychiatric institutions.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient was diagnosed with disorganized type schizophrenia, exhibiting incoherent speech and inappropriate affect.
  • Disorganized type schizophrenia is characterized by a profound disruption in thought and behavior.

Advanced Usage

• Clinical Context: The term is used in psychiatric diagnosis and classification, often within frameworks like the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). It describes a specific cluster of symptoms.
  • In the older DSM-IV, disorganized type schizophrenia was a distinct diagnostic subtype.

Variants and Related Words

• Disorganized schizophrenia (n): A common shortened form of the term.
• Hebephrenic schizophrenia or Hebephrenia (n): An older, synonymous term for this condition.
• Schizophrenia (n): The broader mental disorder of which this is a subtype.

Synonyms

• Hebephrenia: The historical term for this condition.
• Disorganized schizophrenia: The more concise modern term.

Notes on Usage

• Important Note: This term ("disorganized type schizophrenia") was a formal diagnostic label in previous editions of the DSM (specifically DSM-IV). In the current DSM-5, the subtypes of schizophrenia (including disorganized type) have been removed. The symptoms are still recognized and diagnosed under the umbrella term "schizophrenia" using a dimensional assessment of symptom domains. Therefore, while the term remains in historical and educational use, it is no longer an official standalone diagnosis in contemporary clinical practice.

Noun

1. a form of schizophrenia characterized by severe disintegration of personality including erratic speech and childish mannerisms and bizarre behavior; usually becomes evident during puberty; the most common diagnostic category in mental institutions