The manifestations of schizophrenia in late life: a dearth of data

Published data about the course of schizophrenia in late life are very limited. Overall, elderly patients with schizophrenia appear to suffer less from active or positive symptoms and more from residual or negative symptoms than they did when they were younger; therefore, older patients usually require a different type of management. There exists strong evidence that deterioration in schizophrenia generally occurs earlier rather than later in the disorder's natural history and is typically not relentlessly progressive. Nonetheless, schizophrenia remains a severe disorder that can be chronic and, in a proportion of patients, unremitting throughout life. Few studies have outlined which factors are associated with a more positive outcome.