The DSM-IV-TR category “brief psychotic disorder” includes different concepts that have been defined before like bouffée délirante, cycloid psychosis and “acute and transient psychosis” in the last ICD-10. Limited prospective studies have been done, and they all show a marked diagnostic instability during follow-up. According to that, its independent nosologic entity is still uncertain.

To determine the diagnostic stability of the brief psychotic disorders as well as their distinct clinical features.

Observational, retrospective, longitudinal study of 80 consecutive patients admitted at the acute psychiatric inpatient service of a general hospital between 2000 and 2006. at discharge, all of them fulfilled diagnostic criteria for “brief psychotic disorder” according to DSM-IV. Demographic and psychopathological data were analysed.

Mean age (SD) was 31.3 (9.5), most of them women (63%). the most frequent previous stressor was related to labour, while up to 45% didn't report any. 51% had no psychiatric family history. 15 (19%) patients previously had a brief psychotic episode. Psychopathological disturbances identified were: thought disorder 69%, anxiety 66.6%, insomnia 57.7%, suspiciousness 53.5%, rapidly changing delusions 53.3% (paranoid contents 75.3%), perplexity 46.5%, auditory hallucinations 45.1%, mood lability 36.6%, elation 23.9%, depressed mood 22.5% and irritability 12.7%. in the 24 month follow-up, 32.5% changed diagnosis to schizophrenia, 3"9% to schizoaffective, 10% to bipolar disorder and 16.9% achieved clinical remission. 28.5% were lost to follow-up.

“Brief psychotic disorder” category is still uncertain and more data may be necessary to clarify if it should remain as a distinct nosologic entity.