Citation

Stephens JH, Richard P, McHugh PR. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 2000; 188(4): 202-208.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/00005053-200004000-00002

PMID

10789996

Abstract

From a sample of 239 patients diagnosed paranoid state and hospitalized between 1913 and 1940 at the Phipps Clinic, we particularly studied a group of 60 patients without previous hospitalizations, consisting of 57 patients with follow-ups of 5 or more years, and 3 patients who killed themselves (the ultimate follow-up) less than 1 year after discharge. These 60 patients had been retrospectively diagnosed with delusional disorders by DSM-IV criteria. On follow-up, 27% were rated recovered, whereas 52% were rated unimproved. Long-term follow-up was correlated with discharge status. Poor follow-up was significantly correlated with seclusive personality, poor premorbid history, onset 6 months or more before admission, gradual onset, lack of insight, single marital status, and lack of precipitating events. A prognostic scale constructed from the first four of these variables was predictive of long-term outcome. More recent, better treatment results have been contrasted with these findings from an earlier non-drug-treatment era.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Adult; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Suicide/statistics & numerical data; Follow-Up Studies; Prognosis; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; *Hospitalization; Hospitals, Psychiatric; Schizophrenic Psychology; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales/statistics & numerical data; Hospital Records; Electroconvulsive Therapy; Hallucinations/diagnosis; Insulin Coma; Paranoid Disorders/*diagnosis; Pentylenetetrazole/therapeutic use; Schizophrenia, Paranoid/*diagnosis; Schizophrenia/diagnosis