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Long-term course of acute brief psychosis in a developing country setting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Ezra Susser
Affiliation:
Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
Vijoy K. Varma
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
S. K. Mattoo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Molly Finnerty
Affiliation:
Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
Ramin Mojtabai
Affiliation:
Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
B. M. Tripathi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
Arun K. Misra
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
N. N. Wig
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

Abstract

Background

This study in North India compared acute brief psychosis – defined by acute onset, brief duration and no early relapse – with other remitting psychoses, over a 12-year course and outcome.

Method

In a cohort of incident psychoses, we identified 20 cases of acute brief psychosis and a comparison group of 43 other remitting psychoses based on two-year follow-up. Seventeen people (85%) in the acute brief psychosis group and 36 (84%) in the comparison group were reassessed at five, seven and 12 years after onset, and were rediagnosed using ICD–10 criteria.

Results

At 12-year follow-up, the proportion with remaining signs of illness was 6% (n=1) for acute brief psychosis versus 50% (n=18) for the comparison group (P=0.002). Using ICD–10 criteria, the majority in both groups were diagnosed as having schizophrenia.

Conclusions

Acute brief psychosis has a distinctive and benign long-term course when compared with other remitting psychoses. This finding supports the ICD– 10 concept of a separable group of acute and transient psychotic disorders. To effectively separate this group, however, the ICD–10 criteria need modification.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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