SCHIZOPHRENIA SPECTRUM PERSONALITY DISORDERS

One of the most important consequences of the genetic studies of schizophrenia is that the schizophrenic disorder cannot be restricted to the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia but also consists of the spectrum of disorders somewhat similar to schizophrenia itself. Defining the individuals susceptible to schizophrenia became an important research topic in assessing the borders of the spectrum of disorders somewhat similar to schizophrenia and in explaining the ethiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. As a result of these researches, the term “schizophrenia spectrum” was suggested to represent schizophrenia related disorders, including individuals susceptible to schizophrenia. While certain personality disorders were the non-psychotic part, schizophrenia represented the most severe and psychotic part of the spectrum. In fact a few years before the term “schizophrenia spectrum”, a condition called “schizotaxia” was described as an ambiguous and mild brain dysfunction syndrome, which was not viewed as psychotic, but contained negative symptoms and neuropsychologic disorders on genetic liability basis. And with the term schizotaxia, delineation of schizophrenia spectrum personality disorders has been initiated. The aim of this overview is to give information about schizophrenia spectrum personality disorders including the non-psychotic individuals who are susceptible to schizophrenia.