stantial portion of individuals with the diagnosis will improve over time; many continue
to have mild symptoms and impairment, and many others will have a full recovery.
Differential Diagnosis
Brief psychotic disorder. When symptoms of attenuated psychosis syndrome initially
manifest, they may resemble sy mptoms of brief psychotic di sorder. However, in attenu-
ated psychosis syndrome, the symptoms do no t cross the psychosis threshold and reality
testing/insight remains intact. 
Schizotypal personality disorder. Schizotypal personality disorder, although having
symptomatic features that are similar to thos e of attenuated psychosis syndrome, is a rel-
atively stable trait disorder not meeting the st ate-dependent aspects (Criterion C) of atten-
uated psychosis syndrome. In addition, a br oader array of symptoms is required for
schizotypal personality disorder, although in the early stages of pr esentation it may re-
semble attenuated psychosis syndrome.
Depressive or bipolar disorders. Reality distortions that are temporally limited to an
episode of a major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder and are descriptively more
characteristic of those disorders do not me et Criterion E for attenuated psychosis syn-
drome. For example, feelings of low self-esteem  or attributions of low regard from others
in the context of major depressive disorder  would not qualify fo r comorbid attenuated
psychosis syndrome.
Anxiety disorders. Reality distortions that are temporally limited to an episode of an
anxiety disorder and are descriptively more ch aracteristic of an anxiety disorder do not