Incertezza nella determinazione del sottotipo di schizofrenia sulla base dei criteri diagnostici proposti dal DSM-IV-TR e dall’ICD-10: un caso clinico

This work focuses on a case of childhood-onset schizophrenia; the patient is now 25 years old. The patient’s clinical picture was always characterized by precocious and predominant negative schizophrenic symptoms with no evidence of positive ones and this fact was causing doubts and indecision in making diagnosis. We analyzed all schizophrenia subtypes included in DSMIV- TR and ICD-10; diagnostic criteria proposed in the two manuals seems not exhaustive enough in order to allow an exact definition of the schizophrenia subtype. The current knowledge about pathogenetic, clinical and evolutive characteristics of childhood-onset Schizophrenia are still preliminary.