PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS SEEN AS CHILDREN AND ADULTS: CHILDHOOD PREDICTORS OF ADULT ILLNESS

SUMMARY Of the 3370 children referred to the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, during the decade 1 January 1945 to 31 December 1954 and who were born prior to 1946, 12 per cent were, as adults, patients of the Victorian Mental Health Department between June 1961 and June 1969. This represents a fourfold increase in expected rate. Wheel the mentally subnormal were excluded from consideration the rate was 3 times greater than expected. Of the non subnormal diagnostic, groups, male personality disorders had the worst prognosis. Comparing the children on such variables as reason for referral, behaviour complained of, age at onset of symptoms, age at presentation, duration of symptoms, social class and amount of treatment, little of predictive value emerged.