Psychotic Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition 115
Primary psychotic disorder. A substance/medication-induc ed psychotic disorder is
distinguished from a primary psychotic disord er, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective
disorder, delusional disorder, brief psychotic disorder, other specified schizophrenia
spectrum and other psychotic disorder, or un specified schizophrenia spectrum and other
psychotic disorder, by the fact that a substance is judged to be etiologically related to the
symptoms.
Psychotic disorder due to another medical condition. A substance/medication-induced
psychotic disorder due to a prescribed trea tment for a mental or medical condition must
have its onset while the individual is receiv ing the medication (or during withdrawal, if
there is a withdrawal syndrome associated with the medication). Because individuals with
medical conditions often take medications fo r those conditions, the clinician must con-
sider the possibility that the psychotic symptoms are caused by the physiological conse-
quences of the medical condition rather than  the medication, in which case psychotic
disorder due to another medical condition is  diagnosed. The hist ory often provides the
primary basis for such a judgme nt. At times, a change in the treatment for the medical con-
dition (e.g., medication substitution or disc ontinuation) may be needed to determine em-
pirically for that individual whether the medica tion is the causative agent. If the clinician
has ascertained that the distur bance is attributable to both  a medical condition and sub-
stance/medication use, both diagnoses (i.e., psychotic disorder due to another medical
condition and substance/medication-induced psychotic disorder) may be given.
Psychotic Disorder
 Due to Another Medical Condition
Diagnostic Criteria  
A. Prominent hallucinations or delusions.