Paraphrenia is a term that is usually regarded as late onset schizophrenia with a good prognosis. It is distinguished from the paranoid psychoses of early onset (schizophrenia) that have persisted as a chronic state into old age. It is a historical term and modern classifications do not distinguish between early and late onset schizophrenia.
The term "late paraphrenia" refers more to paranoid states in the elderly which are not due to a primary organic or affective cause.
In late onset paranoid illness there tends to be less damage to personality or to emotional responsiveness than in illness at a younger age, and thought disorder is rarely seen.
Hallucinations may be experienced in several modalities, and delusional thinking can range from elaborate and bizarre delusional systems, to simple (but mistaken) ideas that are understandably related to the actual circumstances of the patient.
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