Comparison of adult manifestations of schizophrenia with onset before and after 15 years of age

We examined 19 adult cases of early‐onset schizophrenia (onset before age 15) and 19 controls (schizophrenia with onset between age 15 and 35). Being matched by sex, length of hospitalization and living environment while the present age between groups showed no difference, patients were compared on psychopathological symptom measures and intelligence quotient (IQ). Results showed that early‐onset cases scored significantly higher on Scales for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and had lower performance IQ. No group difference in positive symptoms measure from Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and full IQ was noted. It suggested that when early‐onset patients grew up, phenomenologically, they resembled the schizophrenia of usual early‐adult onset in the positive symptom dimension, but with more negative symptoms, which may be fundamental in this group of patients.