[Early risk factors in schizoid, neurotic and healthy probands]

The following results were obtained on comparing the genesis of schizoid, neurotic and healthy subjects: 1. The schizoid patients examined by us had experienced a greater total risk-associated stress during childhood and adolescence than the comparative groups. 2. Special risk-associated stress is due to: a) a stress-burdened family atmosphere (laden with conflicts within the family and burdened with diseases), b) stress originating from the mother (risks of old age and diseases), c) stress originating from siblings (large number of siblings, smaller age intervals, etc.), d) stress originating from the parents' low standard of education. 3. Schizoids can be separated from healthy subjects on the basis of the childhood risks assessed above. 4. Schizoids cannot be separated from the group of neurotics by the characteristics listed here. These are not schizoid specific risks but factors of general stress. 5. Marked sex-specific peculiarities were seen. a) These point to a higher degree of diagnostic separation between schizoid and neurotic men than between schizoid and neurotic women. b) Schizoid women cannot be distinguished from neurotic women on the basis of the criteria of genesis covered by our study. c) Schizoid men are easily separated from the two other groups of men. This is mainly due to a genesis of an instability of reference. This, therefore, appears as a genuine schizoid risk.