Sex differences in psychosis: normal or pathological?
BACKGROUND
Schizophrenia first appears in adolescence, in boys at an earlier age than girls. The interpretation of this key epidemiological finding crucially depends on whether similar age-related sex differences exist in the expression of associated, subclinical psychosis-like experiences.


METHODS
Findings are based on a population sample of 2548 adolescents and young adults aged 17-28. Subjects were assessed with the core psychosis sections on delusions and hallucinations of the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview.


RESULTS
The risk of subclinical psychotic experiences was significantly higher for males in the younger half of the cohort (17-21 years), but similar in the older half (22-28 years).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that normal maturational changes in adolescence with differential age of onset in boys and girls cause the expression of psychosis, the extreme of which is schizophrenia.
Spauwen
Janneke
J
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, European Graduate School of Neuroscience, PO Box 616 (DRT 10), 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Krabbendam
Lydia
L
Lieb
Roselind
R
Wittchen
Hans Ulrich
HU
van Os
Jim
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003702:Delusions / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors