Brief psychotic disorder is one of the mental disorders on the schizophrenia spectrum in which symptoms occur for a brief period of time (less than 1 month). With psychotic disorders, a person's sense of reality is altered.
Signs and symptoms of brief psychotic disorder are of short duration but are otherwise similar to symptoms of psychotic disorders in general. These associated symptoms can include
- delusions,
- hallucinations,
- sudden and extreme mood changes,
- nonsensical or disordered speech,
- disorganized behavior, and
- catatonia.
Most people with brief psychotic disorder have only one episode, but some will develop a chronic mental illness.
Cause of brief psychotic disorder
Doctors do not understand the cause of most cases of brief psychotic disorder. Both genetic and environmental influences are likely to play a role in its development.
Other brief psychotic disorder symptoms and signs
- Catatonia
- Delusions
- Disorganized Behavior
- Hallucinations
- Nonsensical or Disordered Speech
- Sudden and Extreme Mood Changes
Main Article on Brief Psychotic Disorder Symptoms and Signs

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Examples of Medications for Brief Psychotic Disorder Symptoms and Signs
- aripiprazole (Abilify, Aristrada)
- asenapine (Saphris)
- clozapine (Clozaril, Fazacio ODT, Versacloz)
- lurasidone hydrochloride (Latuda)
- olanzapine (Zyprexa, Zydis)
- paliperidone (Invega)
- quetiapine (Seroquel)
- risperidone, Risperdal; Risperdal Consta, Risperdal M-TAB
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- ziprasidone (Geodon)
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