RESUMO
AIM: A comparative psychopathological and psychometric analysis of age identity disorders (AID) - infantilism and puerilism - on the model of schizophrenia proceeding with hysterical symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Results of the psychopathological study of 42 patients with schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), with well-marked signs of AID in the course of the disease (22 sub. - infantilism; 20 sub. - puerilism), are summarized. Psychometric evaluation was carried out using a standardized block of pathopsychological methods; scales for assessing negative and positive psychopathological symptoms (SANS, PANSS, MFI-20); personality assessment instruments (SPQ-A; Personality Traits Questionnaire (V. Rusalova); Methods for diagnostics of personal maturity (V. Ruzhenkova)). RESULTS: The differentiation between infantilism and puerilism, forming in the psychopathological space of schizophrenia and SSD, is not limited by differences in the indicators of age-related immaturity. Infantilism shows an affinity to the dimensional structures of the negative symptoms, acting as primary psychopathological formations - apathoabulic disorders. Conversely, puerilism is derived from the positive symptoms - psychopathological formations related to the dissociative disorders. CONCLUSION: From the perspective of the modern concept of schizophrenia, infantilism and puerilism are associated with polar dimensional structures (positive-negative symptoms) and, accordingly, can be regarded as psychopathologically heterogeneous formations.
