03 June 2002

Schizophreniform disorder appears to be associated with childhood developmental deficits across a range of domains, claim researchers in the Archives of General Psychiatry. They found that motor, language, and cognitive development deficits emerge early and are persistent and specific to schizophreniform disorder, whereas childhood emotional and interpersonal difficulties are associated with a range of psychiatric disorders.

For their study, Mary Cannon (Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK) and colleagues obtained data from a one-year birth sample of 1037 children enrolled in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. The participants were assessed at biennial intervals between the ages of three and 11 years on emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal problems, motor and language developments, and intelligence. At age 11 years they were also asked about psychotic symptoms At the age of 26 years, DSM-IV diagnoses were made, and childhood variables of the 36 patients with schizophreniform disorder were compared with those of healthy controls, 20 patients with mania, and 278 with nonpsychotic anxiety disorders or depression.

Arch Gen Psychiatry 2002; 59: 449––456