Tc. Manschreck et al., Age disorientation in schizophrenia: An indicator of progressive and severe psychopathology, not institutional isolation, J NEUROP CL, 12(3), 2000, pp. 350-358
Citations number
35
Categorie Soggetti
Neurology
Journal title
JOURNAL OF NEUROPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES
The authors investigated age disorientation in chronic schizophrenia to det
ermine whether specific symptomatic, neurologic, and cognitive disturbances
were linked to its presentation. Disorientation to their age was detected
in 30% (16/54) of the schizophrenic patients in a chronic care facility. In
matched comparisons, age-disoriented patients showed lower educational ach
ievement, poorer mental state performance, and a greater severity of sympto
ms, as well as more severe motor and sensory impairments. Levels of social
withdrawal did not differentiate the two groups. A two-hit model consistent
with neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes is proposed to exp
lain the data.