Marriage rate and fertility in cycloid psychosis: comparison with affective disorder, schizophrenia and the general population

Abstract

A cohort of patients with cycloid psychosis (n = 34) admitted to hospital for the first time in 1925 was compared with affective patients (n = 30) and schizophrenic patients (n = 81) admitted at the same time as well as with the general population in the catchment area. The marriage rate in cycloid probands was in accordance with that of the general population at index admission. Five years later it was significantly lower than expected, but after 10 years the marriage rate was statistically in accordance with expected figures. Fertility was significantly higher than in schizophrenic probands (P less than 0.001). Fertility in cycloid women was in accordance with expected figures based on the mean fertility of birth cohorts of women. It was, however, significantly lower than expected, both in affective women (P less than 0.05) and in schizophrenic women (P less than 0.0001). Prepsychotic fertility (before the index episode) did not significantly diverge from expected figures in cycloid women. It was, however, significantly lower both in affectively ill (P less than 0.05) and schizophrenic women (P less than 0.001). Postpsychotic fertility in cycloid women was in accordance with expected figures. In affective women it also approximated normality, but in schizophrenic women it was significantly lower than expected. Marital fertility was within the expected interval in cycloid probands. The observations are in support of the opinion that neither prepsychotic nor postpsychotic conditions constitute an unsurmountable obstacle to normal social adaptation in cycloid patients. The differences are also interpreted as an argument in favour of nosological autonomy of the category of cycloid psychosis.