reactive schizophrenia

8.1

A sudden mental illness that starts after strong stress and lasts a short time

noun
/riˈæktɪv ˌskɪtsəˈfrɛnɪə/

Archaic

: esquizofrenia reactiva

Unlike chronic cases, reactive schizophrenia may resolve within a few weeks or months.

Examples

Doctors diagnosed her with reactive schizophrenia after a period of intense and sudden stress.
He received treatment for reactive schizophrenia following a traumatic life event.
She was diagnosed with reactive schizophrenia after the traumatic event.
Many patients with reactive schizophrenia experience symptoms that resolve over time.
Doctors diagnosed her with reactive schizophrenia after a period of intense and sudden stress.
He received treatment for reactive schizophrenia following a traumatic life event.
Many patients with reactive schizophrenia experience symptoms that typically resolve over time.

Synonyms

acute schizophrenic episode

vsreactive schizophrenia

Specialized

8.1

A short time when someone suddenly has severe symptoms of schizophrenia

often follows a stressful event rather than lacking an external trigger

Surface Forms

reactive schizophrenia singular

reactive schizophrenias plural

Morphology

reactive + schizophrenia

The meaning is transparently built from 'reactive' (responding to or triggered by stimuli) modifying 'schizophrenia' (the mental disorder), so it denotes a form of schizophrenia that arises in response to events. This adjective+noun composition follows normal productive patterns and is cross-linguistically plausible, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Reactive schizophrenia combines reactive (showing a strong 'reaction' to a stressful event) and schizophrenia (a serious mental illness). So, it was used for cases that start suddenly after a very stressful event and often last only a short time, meaning this form begins as a response to events and can be temporary.