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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Oct 7.
Published in final edited form as: Schizophr Res. 2019 Dec 2;216:443–449. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.10.051

Table 1.

Descriptions of prodrome duration from fully-retrospective literature.

Citation Sample Method Onset Definition Offset Definition Duration, months
(Cameron 1938) 100 1st admission schizophrenia U Nonspecific sxa Specific sxb Weeks to years
Specific sxb Hospitalization Days to months to years
(Conrad 1958)c nr U Onset of ‘trema’ ‘becoming manifest’ Very brief to several years
(Chapman 1966) 40 recent onset schizophrenia Sd 1st noticeable illness nr mean 11, range 1 to 33
(Gross 1969)e 290 cases nr 1st sign 1st contact mean 42
(Varsamis and Adamson 1971) 44 1st admission schizophrenia U 1st somatic or psychological sx Manifest or overt psychosis median 30, range 0.03 to 84
(Huber et al. 1980; Gross 1997) 502 hospitalized for schizophrenia U 1st noncharacteristic continuous sxf 1st psychotic manifestation mean 38.4
1st noncharacteristic discontinuous sxf mean > 120 months
(Rabiner et al. 1986) 64 1st episode psychosis U 1st noticeable sx 1st study interview mean 14.5
(Loebel et al. 1992) 70 1st episode schizophrenia U 1st noticeable sx 1st psychotic sx 22.7±36.2
(Beiser et al. 1993) 1411st episode schizophrenia Sg 1st noticeable sx 1st prominent psychotic sx 26.1±34.4
(Hafner et al. 1993) 267 1st admission schizophrenia Sh 1st psychiatric sx onset psychosis mean 32.4
1st positive sx mean 30
(McGorry et al. 1996) 130 1st episode psychosis Si operationally defined operationally defined 15.0±26.9
(Häfner 2000) 232 1st episode schizophrenia Sh 1st neg or nonspec sx onset psychosis mean 60
(Bechdolf et al. 2002) 27 relapsing paranoid schizophrenia in full remission Sk 1st basic symptom Not specified median 3.8
(Gourzis et al. 2002) 100 hospitalized with recent onset schizophrenia U 1st noticeable sx 1st active phase sx 15.1±11.6
(Malla et al. 2002) 88 1st episode nonaffective psychosis U 1st psychiatric sx 1st psychotic sx 28.6±46.2
(Harrigan et al. 2003) 565 1st episode psychosis Si 1st deviation from premorbid personality 1st sustained psychotic sx 12.1±19.8
(Keshavan et al. 2003) 104 1st episode psychosis U 1st contiguous attenuated positive or negative sx 1st onset of psychotic sx mean 20.6
(Lappin et al. 2007) 82 1st episode psychosis U 1st fundamental change in functioning 1st week of psychotic sx 4.8±8.3 (6 outliers > 39 excluded)
(Shioiri et al. 2007) 219 hospitalized for schizophrenia U 1st psychiatric sx onset schizophrenia mean 37.2
(Cotton et al. 2009) 661 1st episode psychosis U not defined first sustained positive symptom 13.0±18.7
(Renwick et al. 2015) 320 1st episode psychosis Sm 1st noticeable signs onset of psychosis 17.6±32.0, median 4.0 IQR 0–21
(Schultze-Lutter et al. 2015) 126 1st episode psychosis Sn 1st unspecific symptom 1st psychotic sx mean 100.5
1st attenuated positive or cognitive or perceptive basic sx 53.3±71.8
(Shah et al. 2017) 238 1st episode psychosis So 1st sx contiguous with FEP 1st psychotic sx mean 23.2
1st attenuated positive sx mean 39.2

Abbreviations: sx--symptom or symptoms. U--unstructured interview or unclear, S--structured interview, A-administrative database

a

Nonspecific symptoms included negative, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.

b

Specific symptoms were mostly positive symptoms and delusional mood.

c

Findings as related in English by (Varsamis and Adamson 1971) and (Fish 1961).

d

interviews were apparently structured but no instrument was named

e

Original in German, results summarized in (Häfner 2000)

f

Characteristic schizophrenic deficiency symptoms were mostly negative symptoms.

g

record review with symptom checklist.

h

IRAOS structured interview.

i

Royal Park Multidiagnostic Instrument for Psychosis.

j

Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History.

k

ERIraos-CL and “sequence of symptoms assessment”

l

Nottingham Onset Schedule

m

Onset Questionnaire

n

Early Recognition Instrument based on the Instrument for the Retrospective Assessment of the Onset of Schizophrenia

o

Circumstances of Onset and Relapse Schedule

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