A follow-up study of early onset psychosis: comparison between outcome diagnoses of schizophrenia, mood disorders, and personality disorders.

Castañe et al. (1993) tracked 39 young people who had shown early signs of psychosis. They checked back years later to see what diagnoses stuck and how the kids were doing.

The team compared three outcome groups: schizophrenia, mood disorders, and personality disorders. They used charts, interviews, and school records to paint a picture of long-term functioning.

Labels shifted a lot. Many youths who first looked schizophrenic later carried mood- or personality-disorder tags instead.

No matter the final label, most still struggled with school, work, or friendships. The study paints early psychosis as a moving target with lasting impact.

Hayes (1989) saw similar label changes but brighter outcomes in kids whose final tag was schizo-affective. The mixed group in Castañe et al. (1993) makes the outlook look grimmer, yet both agree that first labels often change.

Pakenham et al. (2004) extended the idea to youth with intellectual disability. They found careful re-evaluation often drops the psychosis label altogether, backing the 1993 warning that early tags can be shaky.

Herrnstein et al. (1979) looked even younger, at preschoolers. Their tiny patients sometimes improved more than school-age kids in Castañe et al. (1993), hinting that age at first episode may steer the road ahead.

For BCBAs, the message is to treat behaviors, not the initial diagnosis. A teen who hears voices today may later be called bipolar or borderline, but skill deficits and reinforcement patterns still need your attention. Keep data, expect change, and avoid locking a learner into a schizophrenia box that may not last.