The Natural Course of Schizophrenia: A Review of First-Admission Studies

In this article, research on the natural course of illness among first-admission schizophrenic patients is reviewed from an epidemiological perspective. Three types of studies are considered: statistical reports dating primarily from the preneuroleptic era; long-term followback studies; and more rec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSchizophrenia bulletin Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 185 - 207
Main Authors Ram, Ranganathan, Bromet, Evelyn J, Eaton, William W, Pato, Carlos, Schwartz, Joseph E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford National Institute of Mental Health 1992
Oxford University Press
Subjects
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Biological and medical sciences
Diagnosis
Disease Course
Epidemiology
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Hospital Admission
Hospitals, Psychiatric
Human
Humans
Inpatient
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Medical sciences
Patient Admission - statistics & numerical data
Patient Discharge - statistics & numerical data
Prevalence
Prognosis
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychoses
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - epidemiology
Schizophrenic Psychology
Human
Psychosis
Age of onset
Follow up study
Hospital admission
Schizophrenia
Evolution
Review
Epidemiology
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Summary:In this article, research on the natural course of illness among first-admission schizophrenic patients is reviewed from an epidemiological perspective. Three types of studies are considered: statistical reports dating primarily from the preneuroleptic era; long-term followback studies; and more recent prospectively designed cohort studies. Although relatively more first-admission patients have a positive course than do multiple admissions patients, the findings confirm the substantial heterogeneity in course and outcome. Methodological improvements in first-admission research are suggested, including separating the analyses of first-episode patients from those with past psychotic experiences; employing longitudinal methods for deriving diagnosis; including patients with drug and alcohol problems where appropriate; enlarging the samples either by multisite or multicenter collaborations or by pooling data across studies; and obtaining better data on treatment experiences in naturalistic research.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
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ISSN:0586-7614
1745-1701
DOI:10.1093/schbul/18.2.185