prodromal
adjUK /pɹəʊˈdɹəʊməl/
Etymology From prodrome + -al.
- On the basis of a predisposed constitution, there was a prolonged prodromal stage during which the patient was seemingly depressed and hypochondriacal.1946, A. A. Brill, Lectures on Psychoanalytic Psychiatry, Alfred Knopf, page 129:
- Dr. Melanie met with Annabelle and delivered her diagnosis: Benny was in the prodromal phase of schizoaffective disorder, and she was recommending that they stop the Ritalin and start him on an antidepressant for the mood disorder and an antipsychotic to treat the auditory hallucinations.2021, Ruth Ozeki, The Book of Form and Emptiness, Canongate Books (2022), page 102: