SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS IN ADOLESCENCE PREDICT PSYCHOSIS IN THE NORTHERN FINLAND BIRTH COHORT 1986

• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: Morressier 2017
• Subjects: Northern Finland
• Online Access: https://openresearchlibrary.org/viewer/a1381e08-8d61-4203-8125-5772c98ed28d; https://openresearchlibrary.org/ext/api/media/a1381e08-8d61-4203-8125-5772c98ed28d/assets/external_content.pdf; https://doi.org/10.26226/morressier.5d1a037957558b317a140914

Background: A number of psychological symptoms have been found to predict psychosis. Many studies have found no specificity to separate symptoms predicting non-psychotic psychiatric disorders from those predicting psychotic disorders. We were able to conduct prospective study comparing adolescent symptoms predicting non-psychotic psychiatric disorders and psychotic psychiatric disorders. Our plan was to find out what kind of symptoms in adolescence predict first episode psychosis in general population.Methods: Members of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 were asked to fill in PROD-screen questionnaire at age 15-16 years. PROD-screen includes 21 items both measuring positive prodromal symptoms, negative prodromal symptoms and general symptoms. We were able to follow 5,368 participants using Finnish Hospital Discharge Register detecting new hospital treated mental disorder till 30 years.Results: When comparing separate symptoms in those having psychiatric hospital treatments, we found three positive symptoms and three negative symptoms predicting specifically psychotic disorders (Table 1).Conclusions: In this large prospective population sample we found symptoms in adolescence associated specifically with development of first episode psychosis.