Salient Features

• Age of the patient – Rhe older the patient, the more favorable the prognosis
• The duration of illness – The shorter the duration prior to treatment, the better the outcome.
• The rapidity of development of the symptoms – Surprisingly, it has been found that the more speedily the symptoms develop, the faster do they respond to treatment; a very slow, insidious, and gradual onset of illness suggests a final poor outcome.
• A patient who had close friendships and multiple relationships prior to illness has a brighter chance of recovering than a patient with few or no such relationships.
• Life stress prior to onset – An episode brought on by a major identifiable life stress will respond more quickly than an episode without any obvious cause.
• Marital history – A patient with a stable and helpful marital partner has a favorable prognosis as compared to an unmarried patient.
• Educational history – The higher the level of education, the more are the chance of a patient coming rapidly to terms with the illness and handling the post – illness sequence.
• Occupational history – A patient with a good stable occupation or business prior to onset of illness will respond better than a patient who is jobless and economically unsound.
• Family history – An absence of schizophrenia in the family points to a better prognosis.
• Family's attitude towards the returning patient – hostile behavior by family members, or vice versa, excessive care and attention by them can undermine the patient’s sense of confidence and hamper recovery.
• Social support systems – A patient with a joint family and a staunch circle of friends who are ready lend a helping hand, is much better off than a lone man afflicted with the illness, whose relatives are in some far off land, and who has no one to turn to.
• Organic brain damage – Presence of concurrent obvious brain damage (mental retardation, epilepsy, head injury etc.) hinders the final adequate recovery from schizophrenia.