[Acute and transient psychotic disorders]

Psychotic disorders with acute onset, a dramatic and polymorphous symptomatology and rapid resolution have been described in different countries and by different psychiatric schools. They have been called cycloid psychosis, bouffée délirante, psychogenic psychosis or good prognosis schizophrenia. ICD-10 has given an operational definition under the name "acute and transient psychotic disorders" (F23). Their nosological status is unclear. The Halle-Study of acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPD) has investigated in a prospective manner clinical, para-clinical features and course of illness in 42 patients with ATPD and matched controls with positive schizophrenia, bipolar schizoaffective disorders as well as mentally healthy patients with acute surgical conditions. First results of our study show that ATPD amount to 4% of psychotic in-patients, prefer female sex, show short prodromi, marked affective disturbances within the episode and much better outcome as schizophrenic psychoses according to psychopathological, social, psychological and biographical criteria. Though ATPD may still be an inhomogeneous group, their clinical delineation from schizophrenia seems justified.