The Nithsdale Schizophrenia Surveys X: Obstetric Complications, Family History and Abnormal Movements

Abstract

Obstetric histories of 54 schizophrenic patients and 114 siblings were obtained from their mothers and scored using the Obstetric Complications Scale. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of schizophrenic patients (35%) and siblings (29%) who had at least one definite obstetric complication. There was no evidence that schizophrenic patients with a history of obstetric complications were less likely to have a first-degree relative with a history of psychiatric illness leading to in-patient care. Schizophrenic patients with a history of obstetric complications were more likely to have drug-induced Parkinsonism. There was a trend for tardive dyskinesia to be more common in those schizophrenic patients with no obstetric complications but a family history of schizophrenia.