As a part of the Copenhagen High Risk project, a 6 year follow-up of relapses after first hospitalisation of 67 schizophrenic women was performed. Four dimensions of psychopathology were examined: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, formal thought disorder and depressive symptoms. Each symptom group was its own best predictor over time. Only depressive symptoms diminished significantly at a relapse 6 years after first hospitalisation. Broadly defined subtyping of schizophrenia into paranoid and non-paranoid, retained stability over a 6 year period. It is concluded that there is a stability of psychopathology across onset episodes and relapses.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ventricular enlargement and premorbid deficits in school-occupational attainment in a high risk sample.

Using a subsample of subjects from the Copenhagen schizophrenia high-risk project, this study examined the relationship between ventricular enlargement and prospectively assessed deficits in premorbid school/occupational adjustment. Subjects with enlarged ventricles evidenced poorer premorbid school-occupational adjustment across three times of measurement spanning a period of 10 years. This effect was independent of the age and sex of the subjects and remained significant after controlling for psychiatric diagnosis. The results provide prospective evidence for an association between ventricular enlargement and poor premorbid history.

Achievement↗