The natural history of schizophrenia: a 5-year prospective follow-up of a representative sample of schizophrenics by means of a standardized clinical and social assessment.

A comprehensive, representative cohort of 121 schizophrenics from a delimited catchment area, hospitalized in the course of 20 months (1973--4) and who met PSE criteria, was collected for a therapeutic trial (1976--6) in which, during the year after discharge, standardized clinical and social assessments has been made by personal interview at home. Standardized observations were repeated 4 years later. Follow-up was 99% complete. 48% of the cohort and 58% of the first admissions had a good outcome. Females fared significantly better than males.