A longitudinal study of schizophrenia in adolescence. I. The one- to three-year outcome.

In an attempt to evaluate retrospectively the three-year course and outcome of treated adolescent schizophrenics, the medical data of 19 patients were collected from the first admissions over a period of 10 years (1971-1981). According to the DSM-III criteria, 17 were diagnosed as having schizophrenic disorders and the remaining 2 were schizophreniform disorders. The outcome at the time of first- to third-year follow-up was assessed on the outcome rating scale. The three-year outcome was favorable with respect to both the length of hospitalization and the presence of psychotic symptoms. However, there was a sustained impairment in occupational (or scholastic) functioning throughout the three-year follow-up period. The female sex and the initial diagnosis of schizophreniform disorder might be factors affecting the good third-year clinical (or symptomatic) outcome. The younger age at onset, the longer duration of the prodromal phase, and the longer period of time between the onset and the first presentation appeared to predict the poor third-year occupational outcome.