Associations of psychotic-like or manic-like experiences with later psychiatric disorders: An 11-year follow-up study of middle-aged adults

Abstract

Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and manic-like experiences (MLEs) have been found to be associated with elevated risk for future psychotic disorders. However, most follow-up studies have been conducted on adolescent and young adult samples leaving the predictive value of PLEs and MLEs among middle-aged subjects largely unknown. Here we report findings of an 11-year follow-up study of middle-aged subjects with PLEs (n=86) or MLEs (n=45) at baseline and population controls (n=62). We found that PLEs or MLEs at baseline did not predict conversion to psychosis during an 11-year follow-up in this age group. However, MLEs at baseline were associated with increased risk of nonpsychotic psychiatric disorders at follow-up whereas PLEs were not. Baseline neuropsychological performance was not associated with later psychiatric disorders in groups with PLEs or MLEs. In conclusion, our results suggest that among middle-aged subjects having PLEs or MLEs may not be a similar risk for future psychotic disorders as in younger age groups. However, studies with larger study groups and longer follow-up periods are needed in the future.