Associations of Age and Gender with Negative Symptom Factors and Functioning Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults with Schizophrenia

Gender differences in outcomes among people with schizophrenia have rarely been examined in older adulthood. Studies of young/middle-aged individuals with schizophrenia have found that women exhibit later age of onset, better social functioning, and, more equivocally, better neurocognition and decreased negative symptom severity, than their male counterparts;1 it is unclear whether these differences persist with age. Decreases in circulating estrogens during menopause may be associated with greater symptom severity, poorer antipsychotic response, and worsening neurocognition among women.
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research