title: Duration criteria and long-term outcome in affective disorder and schizophrenia.
abstract: This paper attempts to see whether the shorter duration criteria for affective disorders may naturally result in selecting patients who would show a better long-term outcome than that of schizophrenic patients. Follow-up of 298 patients with mania or depression revealed that those with 6 months or more of symptoms still had a better outcome than the outcome of schizophrenics. Furthermore, their outcome was similar to that of manics and depressives with less than 6 months of symptoms. Therefore, factors other than the shorter duration criterion for affective disorders should be sought to explain their better outcome than that of schizophrenics.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Loyd
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Tsuang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment