acute schizophrenia, a disorder consisting of various degrees of psychosis, characterized by the sudden onset of personality disorganization. Symptoms include disturbances in thought, mood, and behavior. Positive symptoms include delusions, which may be bizarre in nature; hallucinations, especially auditory; disorganized speech; inappropriate affect; and disorganized behavior. Negative symptoms include flat affect, lack of volition, alogia, and anhedonia. Episodes appear suddenly in persons whose previous behavior has been relatively normal and are usually of short duration. Recurrent episodes are common, and in some instances a more chronic type of the disorder may develop. See also schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder.
