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Course and outcome of acute non-organic psychotic states in India

  • Special Section The Acute Psychoses
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Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the diagnoses and short-term course of acute psychotic illnesses—affective as well as nonaffective—in a developing country setting. In the Chandigarh Acute Psychosis Study (CAPS) in Northern India, a cohort of 91 cases of acute psychotic illness were assessed for symptoms, diagnosis, and course ratings at multiple intervals over a 12 month period; cases were drawn from a rural and an urban clinic, permitting comparison of patients in these two settings. Non-affective (mainly schizophrenic) patients were found to be the predominant group (51%), followed by manic (26%), and depressive (19%) patients. Overall the acute psychoses had an excellent shortterm course and outcome, a result which held across all diagnostic groups and both the rural and urban setting. Rural and urban patients were similar in diagnostic distribution and course of illness. Investigations of such cases can expand our view of the possible manifestations and course of psychotic disorders, and may have implications for diagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, 160 012, Chandigarh, India

    Vijoy K. Varma D.P.M. FRCPsych., FAMS, Savita Malhotra M.D., Ph.D., Eun S. Yoo M.D., Ram C. Jiloha M.D., Molly T. Finnerty M.D. & Ezra Susser M.D., Dr.P.H.

  2. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, USA

    Vijoy K. Varma D.P.M. FRCPsych., FAMS, Savita Malhotra M.D., Ph.D., Eun S. Yoo M.D., Ram C. Jiloha M.D. & Ezra Susser M.D., Dr.P.H.

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  1. Vijoy K. Varma D.P.M. FRCPsych., FAMS
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  2. Savita Malhotra M.D., Ph.D.
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  3. Eun S. Yoo M.D.
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  4. Ram C. Jiloha M.D.
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  5. Molly T. Finnerty M.D.
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  6. Ezra Susser M.D., Dr.P.H.
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Varma, V.K., Malhotra, S., Yoo, E.S. et al. Course and outcome of acute non-organic psychotic states in India. Psych Quart 67, 195–207 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02238951

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02238951

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