Growing up in an urban area has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of psychotic disorder in later life. While it is commonly held that a only a tiny fraction of exposed individuals will develop schizophrenia, recent evidence suggests that expression of psychosis in exposed individuals may be much more common, albeit at attenuated levels. Findings are based on a population sample of 2548 adolescents and young adults aged originally 14–24 years, and followed up over almost 5 years up to ages 17–28 years. Trained psychologists assessed all these subjects with the core psychosis sections on delusions and hallucinations of the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Growing up in an urban area was associated with an increased risk of expression of psychosis in the adolescents and young adults (adjusted OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.03–1.66). The proxy environmental risk factor that urbanicity represents may shift a relatively large section of the adolescent population along a continuum of expression of psychosis. Other causal influences may be required to make the transition to schizophrenia in adult life.

Background: Symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) have been observed. However, it is unclear whether rates of threshold depression and anxiety disorders according to DSM-IV criteria in such patients are also elevated. Methods: 238 RLS patients were assessed with a standardized diagnostic interview (Munich- Composite International Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV) validated for subjects aged 18–65 years. Rates of anxiety and depressive disorders were compared between 130 RLS patients within this age range and 2265 community respondents from a nationally representative sample with somatic morbidity of other types. Results: RLS patients revealed an increased risk of having 12-month anxiety and depressive disorders with particularly strong associations with panic disorder (OR=4.7; 95% CI=2.1–10.1), generalized anxiety disorder (OR=3.5; 95% CI= 1.7–7.1), and major depression (OR=2.6; 95% CI=1.5–4.4). In addition, lifetime rates of panic disorder and most depressive disorders as well as comorbid depression and anxiety disorders were considerably increased among RLS patients compared with controls. Conclusions: The results suggest that RLS patients are at increased risk of having specific anxiety and depressive disorders. Causal attributions of patients suggest that a considerable proportion of the excess morbidity for depression and panic disorder might be due to RLS symptomatology.

Evidence from clinical patient populations indicates that affective dysregulation is strongly associated with reality distortion, suggesting that a process of misassignment of emotional salience may underlie this connection. To examine this in more detail without clinical confounds, affective regulation-reality distortion relationships, and their clinical relevance, were examined in a German prospective cohort community study. A cohort of 2524 adolescents and young adults aged 14–24 years at baseline was examined by experienced psychologists. Presence of psychotic experiences and (hypo)manic and depressive symptoms was assessed at 2 time points (3.5 and up to 10 years after baseline) using the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Associations were tested between level of affective dysregulation on the one hand and incidence of psychotic experiences, persistence of these experiences, and psychotic Impairment on the other. Most psychotic experiences occurred in a context of affective dysregulation, and bidirectional dose-response was apparent with greater level of both affective dysregulation and psychotic experiences. Persistence of psychotic experiences was progressively more likely with greater level of (hypo)manic symptoms (odds ratio [OR] trend = 1.51, P < .001) and depressive symptoms (OR trend = 1.15, P = .012). Similarly, psychotic experiences of clinical relevance were progressively more likely to occur with greater level of affective dysregulation (depressive symptoms: OR trend = 1.28, P = .002; (hypo)manic symptoms: OR trend = 1.37, P = .036). Correlated genetic liabilities underlying affective and nonaffective psychotic syndromes may be expressed as correlated dimensions in the general population. Also, affective dysregulation may contribute causally to the persistence and clinical relevance of reality distortion, possibly by facilitating a mechanism of aberrant salience attribution.

This study was conducted in order to test the hypothesis derived from the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia (IPSS) that the existence of extended families in developing countries contributes to the more favorable course and outcome of schizophrenia in these countries in comparison with industrial countries. For this purpose, we compared data from the 5- and 10-year follow-up obtained within the IPSS at Cali, Colombia with data from two 5 to 8-year follow-up studies of former schizophrenic inpatients of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (MPIP) in Munich, FRG. Although, in Cali, schizophrenics are hospitalized and treated with drugs only during acute episodes of the psychosis and no facilities exist for long-term treatment, the psychopathological outcome was, on the whole, not worse than in Munich. Furthermore, the duration of hospitalization during the follow-up period was much lower at Cali and a significantly lower number of Colombian than of German patients was not separated from their families. However, contrary to the hypothesis, family size did not predict course and outcome at both centers.

Objective: To analyze the change in health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and to identify different classes of HRQoL decline. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was performed to assess clinical parameters (unified PD rating scale, Beck Depression Inventory) and HRQoL data (EuroQol, Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire [PDQ]-39) at baseline, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. A total of 145 patients with PD were consecutively recruited in the county of Northern Hessia, Germany, between January and June 2000. A latent growth mixture model was applied to analyse the heterogeneity in HRQoL trajectories. Results: We successfully applied latent mixture growth modeling in order to identify different classes of HRQoL trajectories in PD. Three growth models were developed and each resulted in a four-class model of distinct patterns using the generic EuroQol instruments’ outcomes (EuroQol-5 Dimensions and visual analogue scale) and the disease-specific PDQ- 39. The four classes were defined by individual trajectory characteristics. Classes one and two represented trajectories with moderate declines over 36 months, but with different initial intercepts. Class three consisted mainly of patients who passed away during the observation period and therefore had a large HRQoL decline. Class four was characterized by a low level of HRQoL at baseline and a significant subsequent decline. Conclusions: The findings provide a more elaborate understanding of the variability in HRQoL reduction in PD over time. The classification of different HRQoL subgroups may help to explain the response of PD patients to the natural history of the disease. Future research will enable the identification of HRQoL responder subgroups on different treatment regimens.

Evidence from clinical patient populations indicates that affective dysregulation is strongly associated with reality distortion, suggesting that a process of misassignment of emotional salience may underlie this connection. To examine this in more detail without clinical confounds, affective regulation-reality distortion relationships, and their clinical relevance, were examined in a German prospective cohort community study. A cohort of 2524 adolescents and young adults aged 14–24 years at baseline was examined by experienced psychologists. Presence of psychotic experiences and (hypo)manic and depressive symptoms was assessed at 2 time points (3.5 and up to 10 years after baseline) using the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Associations were tested between level of affective dysregulation on the one hand and incidence of psychotic experiences, persistence of these experiences, and psychotic Impairment on the other. Most psychotic experiences occurred in a context of affective dysregulation, and bidirectional dose-response was apparent with greater level of both affective dysregulation and psychotic experiences. Persistence of psychotic experiences was progressively more likely with greater level of (hypo)manic symptoms (odds ratio [OR] trend = 1.51, P < .001) and depressive symptoms (OR trend = 1.15, P = .012). Similarly, psychotic experiences of clinical relevance were progressively more likely to occur with greater level of affective dysregulation (depressive symptoms: OR trend = 1.28, P = .002; (hypo)manic symptoms: OR trend = 1.37, P = .036). Correlated genetic liabilities underlying affective and nonaffective psychotic syndromes may be expressed as correlated dimensions in the general population. Also, affective dysregulation may contribute causally to the persistence and clinical relevance of reality distortion, possibly by facilitating a mechanism of aberrant salience attribution.

This study was conducted in order to test the hypothesis derived from the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia (IPSS) that the existence of extended families in developing countries contributes to the more favorable course and outcome of schizophrenia in these countries in comparison with industrial countries. For this purpose, we compared data from the 5- and 10-year follow-up obtained within the IPSS at Cali, Colombia with data from two 5 to 8-year follow-up studies of former schizophrenic inpatients of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (MPIP) in Munich, FRG. Although, in Cali, schizophrenics are hospitalized and treated with drugs only during acute episodes of the psychosis and no facilities exist for long-term treatment, the psychopathological outcome was, on the whole, not worse than in Munich. Furthermore, the duration of hospitalization during the follow-up period was much lower at Cali and a significantly lower number of Colombian than of German patients was not separated from their families. However, contrary to the hypothesis, family size did not predict course and outcome at both centers.

Growing up in an urban area has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of psychotic disorder in later life. While it is commonly held that a only a tiny fraction of exposed individuals will develop schizophrenia, recent evidence suggests that expression of psychosis in exposed individuals may be much more common, albeit at attenuated levels. Findings are based on a population sample of 2548 adolescents and young adults aged originally 14–24 years, and followed up over almost 5 years up to ages 17–28 years. Trained psychologists assessed all these subjects with the core psychosis sections on delusions and hallucinations of the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Growing up in an urban area was associated with an increased risk of expression of psychosis in the adolescents and young adults (adjusted OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.03–1.66). The proxy environmental risk factor that urbanicity represents may shift a relatively large section of the adolescent population along a continuum of expression of psychosis. Other causal influences may be required to make the transition to schizophrenia in adult life.

Background: Symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) have been observed. However, it is unclear whether rates of threshold depression and anxiety disorders according to DSM-IV criteria in such patients are also elevated. Methods: 238 RLS patients were assessed with a standardized diagnostic interview (Munich- Composite International Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV) validated for subjects aged 18–65 years. Rates of anxiety and depressive disorders were compared between 130 RLS patients within this age range and 2265 community respondents from a nationally representative sample with somatic morbidity of other types. Results: RLS patients revealed an increased risk of having 12-month anxiety and depressive disorders with particularly strong associations with panic disorder (OR=4.7; 95% CI=2.1–10.1), generalized anxiety disorder (OR=3.5; 95% CI= 1.7–7.1), and major depression (OR=2.6; 95% CI=1.5–4.4). In addition, lifetime rates of panic disorder and most depressive disorders as well as comorbid depression and anxiety disorders were considerably increased among RLS patients compared with controls. Conclusions: The results suggest that RLS patients are at increased risk of having specific anxiety and depressive disorders. Causal attributions of patients suggest that a considerable proportion of the excess morbidity for depression and panic disorder might be due to RLS symptomatology.

This study examined the hypothesis that developmental expression of psychometric risk in the form of subclinical psychotic experiences in the general population is usually transitory but in some instances may become abnormally persistent and progress to a clinical psychotic state. A prospective cohort study was conducted in a general population sample of 845 adolescents, aged 14–17 years, in Munich, Germany (Early Developmental Stages of Psychopathology Study). Expression of psychosis was assessed 4 times (T0–T3) over a period of 8.4 years. Transition from subclinical psychosis at T0–T2 to clinical psychosis in terms of impairment at T3 was examined as a function of the level of prior persistence of subclinical psychosis (present never, once, twice, or thrice). The more the subclinical psychosis persisted over the period T0–T2, the greater the risk of transition to clinical psychosis at T3 in a dose-response fashion (subclinical psychosis expression once over T0–T2: odds ratio [OR] = 1.5 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 0.6–3.7], posttest probability [PP] = 5%; twice: OR = 5.0 [95% CI = 1.6–15.9], PP = 16%; at all 3 measurements: OR = 9.9 [95% CI = 2.5–39.8], PP = 27%). Of all clinical psychosis at T3, more than a third (38.3%) was preceded by subclinical psychotic experiences at least once and a fifth (19.6%) at least twice. Consequently, a significant proportion of psychotic disorder may be conceptualized as the rare poor outcome of a common developmental phenotype characterized by persistence of psychometrically detectable subclinical psychotic experiences. This may be summarized descriptively as a psychosis proneness-persistence-impairment model of psychotic disorder.