Schizophrenia with onset at the extremes of adult life.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To define the epidemiology, phenomenology, premorbid and risk factors in patients with the first manifestation of a schizophrenia-like illness after the age of 60 years, and compare them with patients with an onset before the age of 25 years. DESIGN/SETTING/SUBJECTS: All contacts for a non-affective psychotic illness across all ages of onset were ascertained through a psychiatric case register; patients were rediagnosed according to operationalized criteria for psychotic illness, and those with a very early and very late onset compared. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Phenomenological, premorbid and aetiological parameters were compared in the two groups, using risk ratios and 95% confide..