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Summary
Author(s) -
Richard Francis,
Laura Piercy
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1970.tb00203.x
Subject(s) - citation , psychology , computer science , information retrieval , library science
The initial material for the present investigation consists of 270 probands-123 men and 147 women-with a schizophrenic symptomatology, who were admitted to a mental hospital (W-a) serving the county of 0-d situated in the south-east of Sweden during the years 1900 to 1910. The probands were born and were living in the county of 0-d at the onset of the illness and at the time of admission to hospital. A few cases had fallen ill abroad and were then sent home. Thus the material came from a stable rural population. In all 237 probands104 men, 133 women-were first admissions. 201 of these-92 men, 109 women-were admitted in connection with the first attaek of the illness. 29 probands were admitted for the first time in connection with their second attack and 7 probands were admitted for the first time in connection with their third attack. Besides the 270 schizophrenic probands the final material consists of 123 schizophrenic secondary cases ( 4 parents, 44 siblings, 20 children and 55 children of siblings), 486 relatives affected with other mental abnormalities, and 3304 unaffected relatives. In all there were 3913 individuals belonging to 263 families. 7 secondary cases were also probands, all being siblings of other probands. A clinical-prognostic investigation has been made of the 237 first admitted patients. A prognosis scale graded from 1-3 has been used in assessing the mental condition. The first grade implies freedom from mental symptoms, awareness of morbidity for the past period of illness and fitness for work. Grade 2 indicates good social recovery but with certain residual defect. Grade 3 means moderate or severe defect. The prognostic value of different factors-the mode of onset, presumed precipitating factors, duration of illness, age at onset and duration of hospitalization-has been analysed. The analysis was based on the attack responsible for the first admission. Apart from the age at first attack and at first admission no differences between the sexes were found. They are therefore treated as a single group. An analysis of the environmental conditions during the period of growth-viz. before 15 years of age-has been made for the 237 firstadmitted probands. A “broken home” was recorded for altogether 27 per cent of the probands. The term applies to those persons who lost one or both par-