Political change and course of affective psychoses: Berlin 1989-90

In this study, the political change associated with the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 was examined as a shared life event for the population of West Berlin. Its influence on the course of affective psychoses was studied in 67 patients in long-term treatment. Recurrences from November 1989 to March 1990 were compared with the same period 1 year before. While patients with bipolar affective psychosis did not show a difference in recurrences between the two periods, patients with unipolar depression had a significantly better and those with schizoaffective psychosis a significantly worse course of illness after November 1989 than in the year before.