[Pattern of familial psychoses--systematic and unsystematic schizophrenia and cycloid psychoses]

Abstract

604 cases were examined, 309 of which were systematic schizophrenics, 191 were unsystematic schizophrenics and 104 cycloid psychotics. With the systematic schizophrenics the average period spent in hospital amounted to 16.9 years, with the unsystematic schizophrenics 13.8 years, with the cycloid psychotics 8.2 years. The systematic schizophrenics were discharged from hospital on average 1.5 times, the unsystematic 2.3 times, the cycloid psychotics 4.1 times. Of the systematic schizophrenics, 37.5% were never discharged after their first admittance to hospital, of the unsystematic 25.7%, of the cycloid psychotics 9.6%. Bipolar fluctuations were detected in 1.6% of the systematic schizophrenics, 49.7% of the unsystematic and 78.8% of the cycloid psychotics. 15.9% of the systematic schizophrenics had occurrences of psychoses in their family compared to 50.8% of the unsystematic and 22.1% of the cycloid psychotics. The systematic schizophrenics had 17.5% of their family ill, the unsystematic 69.6%, the cycloid psychotics 25.0%. Of the parents of the systematic schizophrenics 2.3% were ill, of the parents of the unsystematic schizophrenics 11.6%, of the parents of the cycloid psychotics 5.0%. Of the brothers and sisters of the systematic schizophrenics 2.4% were ill, of the unsystematic schizophrenics 10.9%, of the cycloid psychotics 3.0%. These variations in the pattern and occurrence of psychoses in the family seem to prove that the three groups of endogenous psychoses are genetically separable. There are also differentiating features inside the groups. Periodic catatonia in particular is characterized by the great number of psychotics in the family.