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The Outcome of Adolescent School Phobia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Ian Berg ,
Alan Butler  and
Gabrielle Hall
Ian Berg
Affiliation:
Leeds Area Health Authority (Teaching) and Yorkshire Regional Health Authority; Clinical Lecturer
Alan Butler
Affiliation:
Leeds Area Health Authority (Teaching) and Yorkshire Regional Health Authority; Clinical Lecturer
Gabrielle Hall
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Leeds, 15 Hyde Terrace, Leeds 2
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Summary

A hundred-and-twenty-five school phobic youngsters had been treated in a psychiatric in-patient unit for young adolescents of secondary school age over a seven-year period; a hundred of them were reviewed on average three years after discharge. About a third of cases were found to have improved little; they had persistent severe symptoms of emotional disturbance and continuing social impairment. Another third had improved appreciably and were affected by neurotic symptoms rather than social impairment. The remaining third had improved substantially or completely. School attendance difficulties had remained in about half of all cases. Subsequent difficulties in going to work were less pronounced. The best predictor of outcome was clinical state on discharge. High intelligence also emerged as a significant predictor of poor outcome. Five girls and a boy had already developed severe and persistent agoraphobic difficulties when reviewed. It was found that severe school phobia in early adolescence resembled adult affective disorders in some clinical features and in outcome.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 128 , Issue 1 , January 1976 , pp. 80 - 85
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1976 

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