The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 191: 260-261. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.033688
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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SHORT REPORTS

Familial liability to schizophrenia and premorbid adjustment

Muriel Walshe, BA, Mark Taylor, MRCPsych, Katja Schulze, PhD, Elvira Bramon, MD, Sophia Frangou, MD, Daniel Stahl, PhD, Eugenia Kravariti, PhD, Eileen Daly, BSc, Paul Fearon, MRCPsych, Robin M. Murray, FRCPsych, DSc and Colm McDonald, MRCPsych

Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK

Correspondence: Dr Muriel Walshe, Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. Email: m.walshe{at}iop.kcl.ac.uk

Declaration of interest None. E.B. and C.M. supported by the Wellcome Trust.

We assessed premorbid functioning during childhood and adolescence in 50 people with schizophrenia from multiply affected families, 39 of their unaffected siblings, 69 people with schizophrenia with no family history of psychosis, 67 of their unaffected siblings and 83 controls. People with schizophrenia had poorer premorbid social and academic adjustment and exhibited a decline between childhood and adolescence compared with controls. Unaffected siblings from multiply affected families also had poor academic functioning in adolescence, with a decline between childhood and adolescence. This may represent a familial (presumed genetic) effect.