engleski

Patients with catatonic schizophrenia do not have better prognsis then patients with paranoid schizophrenia

There is a clasic thesis that catatonic schizophre¬nia has a favorable outcome and better prognosis than other sub¬types of schizophrenia. In the 1972 from the base population of 10569 schizophrenic patients recorded in Croatian Psychotics Case Reg¬ister (CPCR), the representative sample of 402 patients (207 males and 195 females) was formed for further long-term field-clinical- epidemiological follow-up. In this samplethere were 59 (14.7%) patients, who were diagnosed at lest once in their life as catatonic schizophrenics (ICD). Every catatonic schizophrenic was matched with paranoid schizophrenic from the sample, according to resi¬dential area, sex and age. The patients were followed up until 1995. The great majority of ever-catatonic schizophrenic patients show unstable clinical picture and positive family history of psychosis, while paranoid schizophrenics showed more stabile clinical picture and also positive heredity. Patients with schizophrenia, catatonic type were younger at the age of onset, and at the initial hospitalization, had shorter prehospitalization interval. Although during the course ofillnes the catatonic schizophrenics had better compilance they spent greater percentage of time in hospital than paranoid patients. According to the nuber of attempted suicides, number of suicides, number of patient who died and according to average age of patients who died there was no significant diference betwwen catatonic and paranoid schizophrenics. In majority of cases the catatonic schizophrenia was severe and chronic illnes leading to socio- economic degradation, affecting quality of life and shortening the duration of life in comparison with general population. This study is not supporting the clasic thesis that catatonic schizophrenia has favorable outcome and better prognosis than paranoid schizophrenia.

catatonic schizophrenia; paranoid schizophrenia; prognosis

doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2006.01.006