Research Journal of Medical Sciences
ISSN: Online 1993-6095ISSN: Print 1815-9346
Abstract
The main objective of the study is to collect the sociodemographic profile and clinical characteristics of late onset schizophrenia patients attending the Psychiatry outpatient and inpatient departments and to analyze the current knowledge about the clinical characteristics and sociodemographic profile associated with late onset schizophrenia through standardized scales. This was a cross sectional study on socio demographic profile and clinical characteristics of Late Onset Schizophrenia (LOS), done at the Department of Psychiatry at Chengalpattu Medical College Tamilnadu, India. This study was done for a period of one year from January 2018 to December 2018. Hundred subjects were enrolled for the study. The study protocol was presented before the institutional ethical committee for approval and got approved. Individual informed consent was obtained from the participants. The confidentiality of the data collected was strictly ensured by electronic storage. In this study, 92% of the patients belonged to 50‐59 years of age, with females accounting for 79% of cases, 82% of study population belonged to rural area and remaining 18% belonged to urban region, 78% of patients were from lower socioeconomic status, remaining 22% were from middle socioeconomic status, majority (75%) were illiterate, 61% of study participants were unemployed, 80% patients were married and only 11% of participants had family history of psychosis. While assessing the positive scale of PANSS score criteria for patients with LOS, conceptual disorganization (P2), excitement (P4) and grandiosity (P5) were absent in all the patients. Seventy percentage patients had moderately severe score on delusion (P1), 64% had moderately severe score on hallucinatory behavior (P3), 67% of patients had severe score on suspiciousness/persecution (P6), 37% of patients had minimal score on hostility (P7) and 42% of patients had absence of hostility. While assessing the negative scale of PANSS score criteria for patients with LOS, difficulty in abstract thinking (N5), lack of spontaneity and flow of conversation (N6) and stereotyped thinking (N7) were absent in all the patients. Only 24% of patients had minimal blunted affect (N1), 34% of patients had minimal emotional withdrawal (N2), 28% of patients had minimal poor rapport (N3) and 30% of patients had mild passive/apathetic social withdrawal (N4). While assessing the general psychopathology scale from G1‐G16, mannerism and posturing (G5), motor retardation (G7), unusual thought content (G9), disorientation (G10), poor attention (G11), disturbance of volition (G13), poor impulse control (G14) and poor preoccupation (G15) were absent in all the patients. About 59% of patients had mild score on somatic concern (G1), 46% had moderate score on anxiety (G2), 24% of patients had mild score on guilty feelings (G3), 40% of patients had minimal score on tension (G4), 59 % had mild score on depression (G6), 32% had minimal score on uncooperativeness (G8), 26% of patients had minimal score on lack of judgement and insight (G12) and 26% of patients had minimal score on active social avoidance (G16).
How to cite this article:
M. Sathish Kumar, V. Jaikumar, M. Karthik and K. Ilamaran. A Cross‐Sectional Study On Sociodermographic Profile and Clinical Characteristics Of Late Onset Schizophrenia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36478/10.36478/makrjms.2025.2.362.369
URL: https://www.makhillpublications.co/view-article/1815-9346/10.36478/makrjms.2025.2.362.369