Characteristics of early and late onset of schizophrenia

: Two groups of patients derived from paranoid schizophrenia population of Mokotow were compared. The early onset group (before 25th year of age 57 persons) and late onset group (after 40 year of age 48 persons). Characteristics of the course of illness in both groups were compared with respect to productive symptomatology and adaptation. The course of illness was more favorable in the case of late onset psychoses (shorter relapses, longer improvements, fewer hospitalizations, better adaptation). In late schizophrenias the productive symptoms were more often directed towards environment and identity and consistency less frequent. These differences were interpreted as differences in mechanism of personality integration with paranoid syndrome in early and late onset schizophrenia.