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Cognitive and behavioural functioning in men with schizophrenia both before and shortly after first admission to
J Rabinowitz1, A Reichenberg, M Weiser
1Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. rabinowz@mail.biu.ac.il
Background:
The extent of premorbid changes associated with the onset of schizophrenia are debated.
Aims:
The study examined cognitive and behavioural functioning prior to, and after, first hospitalisation for schizophrenia.
Method:
Data from the Israeli Draft Board Register of intelligence, social functioning and behaviour testing for all Israeli males aged 16-17 was linked with data from the National Psychiatric Hospitalisation Case Register. This identified 692 men who had been admitted to hospital for schizophrenia. Cases and non-cases matched on age and school were compared, as were cases aggregated by the time that had elapsed between testing and first admission to hospital.
Results:
Cases performed worse than non-cases on all measures. On Social Functioning and on Raven's Progressive Matrices-R, differences between cases and non-cases were progressively greater for cases admitted closer to the time of testing. These differences were greatest for persons tested after first psychiatric hospitalisation.
Conclusions:
The results confirm premorbid deficits associated with schizophrenia and support the hypothesis that decline is progressive.