Five-Year Outcome in Early Schizophrenia [Abridged]

seems to have been a steady improvement in prognosis during the past half century. In MayerGross's series (1932) 35% were alive, in the community and self-supporting or independent at the time of follow-up, sixteen years after being admitted to the Heidelberg clinic in 1912-1913. Guttman et al. (1939) found 43 % who were not a burden on the community three years after discharge from the Maudsleyin 1934-1935. Harris et al. (1956) showed that one-half of their Maudsley series, admitted for insulin treatment between 1945 and 1948, were socially independent five years later. Ackner & Oldham (1962), in a three-year follow-up study of a later series of Maudsley patients, found 58% in this group. The most recent series, published by Kelly & Sargant (1965), gave a figure of 67%.