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Schizophrenia: a 13‐year follow‐up
Author(s) -
MunkJørgensen P.,
Mortensen P. B.
Publication year - 1989
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.1600-0447.1989.tb10275.x
Subject(s) - schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , diagnosis of schizophrenia , psychiatry , danish , population , proband , incidence (geometry) , cohort , psychology , psychosis , pediatrics , medicine , environmental health , linguistics , philosophy , biochemistry , chemistry , physics , optics , mutation , gene
– In Denmark about 11–12 per 100,000 population are diagnosed as schizophrenics for the first time each year. Less than half of these receive this diagnosis at first admission and therefore only 5–6 per 100,000 are included in the official schizophrenia incidence figures. In a cohort ( n = 53), predictors for diagnosis of schizophrenia at the first admission were analysed (vs. first schizophrenia diagnosis only at a later admission). In accordance with the Danish concept of schizophrenia, affective flattening was found to have a significant correlation with the initial diagnosis of schizophrenia. Long duration of disease prior to the initial admission was also significantly correlated, indicating that a criterion of chronicity forms part of the Danish concept of schizophrenia. Schneider's first‐rank symptoms also were more weakly correlated with the initial schizophrenia diagnosis. The probands were followed up personally and by case records (13 years). Good outcome was found in 23% of the probands and poor outcome in 50%. Affective flattening and Schneiderian first‐rank symptoms at initial admission were correlated with poor outcome (NS). Schneiderian first‐rank symptoms and social unease at initial admission were significantly correlated with schizophrenia as follow‐up diagnosis. The initial clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia was not correlated with clinical outcome or with follow‐up diagnosis.