Clinical course and outcome of schizophrenia in Cali, Colombia. A 10-year follow-up study

Abstract

The present paper is a very succinct description of the findings from the 10-year follow-up of a group of 101 patients from Cali, Colombia who were included in the WHO International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia. It is based on a prospective study conducted with the use of standardized instruments and with clinical evaluations performed by the same examiners at the beginning and end phases. A classification of the varieties of clinical course observed throughout the 10-year period is presented, as well as a description of several aspects of the social and clinical condition of cases at the time of the last observation. The possibility of finding predictors of the outcome of the disorder is explored through the use of multivariate methods, and a series of comments and conclusions is formulated.