Residual-type schizophrenia is characterized by a past history of a least one episode of schizophrenia, but the person will currently have no positive symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior). Symptoms may represent a transition between a full-blown episode and complete remission, or it may continue for years without any further psychotic episodes.

DSM criteria

• A. Absence of prominent delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior.
• B. There is continuing evidence of the disturbance, as indicated by the presence of negative symptoms or two or more symptoms listed in Criterion A for Schizophrenia, present in an attenuated form (e.g., odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences).
• Residual schizophrenia is typically by diagnosed by the following symptoms:
  • a. Prominent “negative” schizophrenic symptoms, such as psychomotor slowing, underactivity, blunting of affect, passivity and lack of initiative, poverty of quantity or content of speech, poor nonverbal communication by facial expression, eye contact, voice modulation, and posture, poor self-care and social performance
  • b. Evidence in the past of at least one psychotic episode meeting the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia;
  • c. A period of at least 1 year during which the intensity and frequency of florid symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations have been minimal or substantially reduced and the “negative” schizophrenic syndrome has been present;
  • d. Absence of dementia or other organic brain disease or disorder, and of chronic depression or institutionalism sufficient to explain the negative impairments.