Authors: H Remschmidt M Martin C Fleischhaker F M Theisen K Hennighausen C Gutenbrunner E Schulz
Publish Date: 2006/08/10
Volume: 114, Issue: 4, Pages: 505-512
Abstract
This paper describes the longterm course of 76 patients who had been consecutively admitted to the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Philipps University between 1920 and 1961 with a suspected diagnosis of childhoodonset schizophrenia By means of a consensus analysis of available data in accordance with ICD10 criteria the diagnosis of schizophrenia was confirmed in only 50 of the original sample n = 38 childhoodonset schizophrenia group whereas the rest of the sample were allotted other diagnoses n = 38 nonschizophrenia group A followup investigation was conducted interviewing all available patients if possible or their firstdegree relatives or doctors In the childhoodonset schizophrenia group age at onset mean ± SD was 127 ± 25 range 5–14 years and age at followup was 550 ± 48 range 42–62 years The outcome of this group was poor According to the Global Assessment Scale GAS only 16 had a good GAS score 71–100 and 24 had a moderate GAS score 41–70 outcome In the 16 childhoodonset schizophrenia patients who could be personally investigated at followup 10 625 displayed severe or moderate depressive symptoms according to the BPRS depressive score The death rate including suicide was significantly higher in the schizophrenia group n = 15 395 than in the nonschizophrenia group n = 7 184 A comparison of the lifetime diagnoses of the total sample n = 76 at followup with the ICD10 diagnoses made retrospectively revealed a diagnostic stability in 69 91 and a change of diagnosis in 7 9 cases among them 4 who were originally diagnosed as having childhoodonset schizophrenia
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