Abstract
Aim. About 1% of the population suffers from schizophrenia. Additionally, this disease affects indirectly a small percentage of people taking care of the schizophrenic patients. Thus, both individual and social consequences of paranoid schizophrenia seem to be an important issue in the modern society.
Method. 90 patients suffering from paranoid schizophrenia in the eighties and hospitalized at the Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian School of Medicine in Szczecin, Poland, were the subjects alt his study. Only 41 out of 90 reported to the control examination. Clinical findings, including psychiatric history, the general physical examination, evaluation of mental status, laboratory findings, as well as the late complications of neuroleptic therapy were analyzed. Patient's social and professional status was also taken into consideration. The following diagnostic scales were employed: BPRS, PANSS, Simpson-Angus Extrapyramidal Signs Scale, Late Dyskinesia Scale and the MOS SF-36 Scale evaluating the subjective quality of life of the patients.
Results. For most patients, this catamnestic study revealed different than paranoid symptomatology of schizophrenia. Analysis of patient individual and social activity confirmed the negative influence of paranoid schizophrenia over family life, economic status and social activity. There's been a decline in the living standards of schizophrenic patients. However; the course of paranoid schizophrenia and the treatment history had no effects on patient s physical health.