A ten-year follow-up study of Chinese schizophrenics in Hong Kong

One hundred and thirty-three Chinese schizophrenic patients first seen in 1965 were traced for a follow-up assessment in 1975. Eighty-two patients attended and were fully evaluated, 47 failed to attend and 4 were known to have died. The course and outcome were graded into four categories, and it was found that 65 per cent of the fully evaluated group had full and lasting remission or showed no or mild deterioration only, despite some relapses. Intra-group comparison showed that being female, a shorter duration of illness, an acute onset, symptom-groups other than disturbances of emotion and volition, and the presence of a supportive relative are factors which affect the prognosis favourably.