A Five to Fifteen Year Follow-up Study of Infantile Psychosis

Abstract

The psychoses of infancy have long been a matter for controversy. The nature of the disorders, their aetiology, relationship to adult forms of psychosis, long-term outcome and response to treatment are still areas of disagreement among clinicians. Follow-up studies should provide information relevant to some of these problems. Unfortunately, the findings of published investigations have been contradictory. To a large extent contradictions appear to be related to differences in diagnostic criteria, but the failure of many writers to describe their cases adequately has made it difficult to assess the significance of possible differences.