CLINICAL-FEATURES OF CHILDHOOD-ONSET SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE SYMPTOMS DURING THE PRODROMAL PHASE

Thirty-nine patients with schizophrenia, diagnosed according to DSM-II I-R, who were under 15 years of age, were studied in two groups; 16 su bjects with obsessive-compulsive symptoms during the prodromal phase, and 23 with no obsessive-compulsive disorders. The group with obsessiv e-compulsive symptoms during the prodromal phase was characterized by a higher ratio of males, higher incidences of perinatal and brain comp uted tomography (CT) abnormalities, fewer hereditary factors, longer d uration of the prodromal phase, and a higher incidence of insidious on set and negative symptoms compared with the group without such prodrom al symptoms. Schizophrenic patients with obsessive-compulsive symptoms during the prodromal phase were clinically distinct from those withou t, which suggests the possibility of subtype categorization.