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Late-Onset Schizophrenia

Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes

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Abstract

The onset of schizophrenia for the first time in late life has been considered rare, and the nosology of the late-onset functional psychoses remains contentious. However, it is clear that a significant proportion of individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia do have the first onset of the illness in late and very late life. The clinical presentation of such patients shows some differences from patients with early-onset disease, particularly in having a lower prevalence of premorbid dysfunction, negative symptoms and formal thought disorder. The longitudinal course is variable, possibly a reflection of aetiological heterogeneity. Atypical antipsychotic agents would appear to have significant benefits in the treatment of this group of patients, given the particular vulnerability of the elderly to extrapyramidal adverse effects, notably tardive dyskinesia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Directorate of Mental Health Services, Fremantle Hospital and Health Service, Alma Street Centre, Alma Street, Fremantle, Western Australia, 6160, Australia

    Peter A. Wynn Owen &  David J. Castle (Clinical Director)

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  1. Peter A. Wynn Owen
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  2. David J. Castle
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Correspondence to David J. Castle.

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Wynn Owen, P.A., Castle, D.J. Late-Onset Schizophrenia. Drugs Aging 15, 81–89 (1999). https://doi.org/10.2165/00002512-199915020-00002

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