Long-term stability of diagnosis and symptom dimensions in a systematic sample of patients with onset of schizophrenia in childhood and early adolescence. I: nosology, sex and age of onset.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the long-term outcome of schizophrenia that has its onset during childhood and early adolescence (early-onset schizophrenia, or EO-SZ). Whether or not EO-SZ is an aetiologically separate form of schizophrenia (SZ) is unresolved.


METHODS
The study was a 14.8-year follow-up, using methods such as systematic sampling, evaluation of possible non-respondent bias, consensus best-estimate diagnoses (DSM-III-R) made independently in childhood and adulthood, measures of positive and negative dimensions, of non-psychotic behaviour disturbances (NPBD) and of developmental problems before the appearance of SZ.


RESULTS
There was high stability of EO-SZ (n = 40) diagnoses (mean onset at 14.0 years) until adulthood (mean age at follow-up 28.8 years) but a lower stability of positive and negative schizophrenic dimensions. There was a poor outcome of EO-SZ, a strong over-representation of males but few gender differences, and no effect of age of onset on clinical features and outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
EO-SZ taken as a whole shows no qualitative differences to adult-onset SZ. However, a distinction through the onset of preschizophrenic developmental problems or NPBD might be a way to investigate heterogeneity within EO-SZ.
Maziade
M
M
Le Centre de recherche Université Laval Robert-Giffard, Beauport, Québec, Canada.
Gingras
N
N
Rodrigue
C
C
Bouchard
S
S
Cardinal
A
A
Gauthier
B
B
Tremblay
G
G
Côté
S
S
Fournier
C
C
Boutin
P
P
Hamel
M
M
Roy
M A
MA
Martinez
M
M
Mérette
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011792:Quebec; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D012561:Schizophrenia, Childhood / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D012737:Sex Factors