LONG-TERM STABILITY OF DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOM DIMENSIONS IN A SYSTEMATIC SAMPLE OF PATIENTS WITH ONSET OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IN CHILDHOOD AND EARLY ADOLESCENCE .1. NOSOLOGY, SEX AND AGE-OF-ONSET

Background. Little is known about the long-term outcome of schizophren ia that has its onset during childhood and early adolescence (early-on set schizophrenia, or EO-SZ). Whether or not EO-SZ is an aetiologicall y separate form of schizophrenia (SZ) is unresolved. Method. The study was a 14.8-year follow-up, using methods such as systematic sampling. evaluation of possible non-respondent bias, consensus best-estimate d iagnoses (DSM-III-R) made independently in childhood and adulthood, me asures of positive and negative dimensions, of non-psychotic behaviour disturbances (NPBD) and of developmental problems before the appearan ce of SZ. Results. There was high stability of EO-SZ (n=40) diagnoses (mean onset at 14.0 years) until adulthood (mean age at follow-up 28.8 years) but a lower stability of positive and negative schizophrenic d imensions. There was a poor outcome of EO-SZ, a strong over-representa tion of males but few gender differences, and no effect of age of onse t on clinical features and outcome. Conclusions. EO-SZ taken as a whol e shows no qualitative differences to adult-onset SZ. However, a disti nction through the onset of preschizophrenic developmental problems or NPBD might be a way to investigate heterogeneity within EO-SZ.