AGE AT ONSET IN SUBTYPES OF SCHIZOPHRENIC DISORDERS

Age at onset and sex differences in the age at onset were investigated in the schizophrenic subtypes of 200 patients. Significant difference s in the age at onset were observed among these subtypes; the disorgan ized subtype demonstrated the earliest and the paranoid the latest ons et. The mean age at onset of all female patients was significantly gre ater than that of the male. Specifically, in the paranoid subtype the onset for men occurred earlier than for women. Conversely, in the diso rganized subtype the disorder appeared earlier in women. There was no significant sex difference in the age at onset in the undifferentiated and the residual subtypes. In the paranoid subtype most men developed the disease before age 30 (72%), whereas women had an even distributi on of the onset before and after 30. Ninety-six patients admitted for the first time demonstrated findings similar to those of the total sam ple. The data provide additional information on the phenotypic express ion of the subtypes of schizophrenic disorders and indicate the necess ity for further demographic and genetic studies to delineate the under lying defect.