The influence of family history of schizophrenic spectrum disorders on the clinical presentation of schizophrenia

Abstract

Objective: to identify the characteristics of the clinical debut of schizophrenia, as well as clinical aspects related to hereditary aggravation within schizophrenic spectrum disorders.Materials and methods: patients with a confirmed diagnosis of F20.0 “Paranoid schizophrenia” selected according to inclusion/non-inclusion criteria participated in the study. Material was collected through clinical interviewing, analysis of medical records and documentation, and self-questionnaires.Results: a total of 264 individuals participated in the study. Hereditary aggravation with schizophrenic spectrum disorders within two generations was detected in 127 of them (48.1%). Our results showed that having a family history of schizophrenic spectrum disorders correlated with earlier age of schizophrenia debut (p=0.018) and higher scores on the Calgary Depression Scale (p=0.013).Conclusions: the findings may serve as an effective tool for developing more accurate diagnostic strategies in individuals at high risk of developing schizophrenia due to hereditary aggravation, as well as for the subsequent treatment of these individuals.

Keywords

• schizophrenia
• family history of schizophrenia
• depression
• schizophrenia debut