phase of the illness and functioning below the highest level previously achieved à , and a duration of at least six months à" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 187). Patients suffering from the disorganized type of schizophrenia exhibit "incoherence, marked loosening of associations, or grossly disorganized behavior, and à flat or grossly inappropriate affect" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 196). During some phase of the illness, schizophrenia "always involves delusions, hallucinations, or certain characteristic disturbances in affect and form of thought" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 187). The key feature of schizophrenic delusions is a marked departure from consensual reality.
Schizophrenia is classified as subchronic when the signs of the disorder are "more or less" continuously present for at least six months, but for less than two years (American Psychiatric Association, 19
...