Demographics, family history, premorbid functioning, developmental characteristics, and course of patients with deteriorated affective disorder

This exploratory study examined the characteristics of a group of unusual and previously undescribed patients with major affective disorder who not only had been continuously symptomatic for prolonged periods of time but were also so functionally impaired that they required years of continuous care in psychiatric facilities or by family members.Twenty-seven inpatients with major mood disorders and 29 inpatients with schizophrenia were recruited...