The authors compared 21 "Kraepelinian" schizophrenic patients who had
been ill and dependent on others for the past 5 years with 76 chronic
schizophrenic patients in remission or with exacerbations requiring
hospitalization. The Kraepelinian patients met the criteria for
schizophrenia by more diagnostic systems than the exacerbated patients,
were less responsive to haloperidol, had more severe negative symptoms, and
had similarly severe positive symptoms. They had cerebral ventricles that
were more asymmetrical and a greater family history of schizophrenia
spectrum disorders than the other chronic patients. These data suggest that
patients with 5 years of illness and complete dependency on others may
represent a subgroup of schizophrenia.Abstract Teaser