Is a brief psychotic disorder related to schizophrenia?

A person with brief psychotic disorder experiences some of the symptoms of schizophrenia, but the symptoms last less than one month. A diagnosis of schizophrenia is only given when people experience several schizophrenia symptoms for more than six months. Brief psychotic disorder is rare and may occur more often in people with personality disorders. Stress may cause certain people to have this disorder, where they experience:

- delusions (for example, worrying that people are plotting against them)
- hallucinations (for example, hearing voices or seeing things that are not real)
- odd or inappropriate speech and behavior

Treatment for brief psychotic disorder is similar to treatment for schizophrenia. The illness lasts only a few weeks, so antipsychotic medications may only be given for a short time.