Objective: Cycloid psychoses represent a nosological entity not adequately recognised by contemporary psychiatry. They present with full recoveries after each psychotic episode and, thus, have a favourable prognosis.
Method: To verify this clinical observation course, outcome and quality of life (QoL, measured by the German version of the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile) of 33 patients with cycloid psychosis and 44 schizophrenics were compared after a mean time of 13 years since first hospitalisation. For comparison of objective and subjective QoL measures, 48 healthy controls were included.
Results: Concerning the course of their disease, schizophrenics were hospitalised significantly longer and received higher neuroleptic doses than patients with cycloid psychosis. The latter displayed significantly better scores in the CGI, GAF, Strauss-Carpenter-Outcome and PANSS scales. In global QoL measures, cycloid psychotic patients were more satisfied with their QoL than schizophrenic patients, and did not differ significantly from healthy controls.
Conclusion: Cycloid psychoses seem to exhibit a better prognosis than schizophrenia regarding course, outcome, objective, and subjective aspects of QoL. Thus, they appear to present a useful concept deserving more clinical and scientific attention.