Carsten Hjorthøj, Ph.D., from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study which included a population-based sample of 2,539 individuals born in Denmark with an incident diagnosis of
schizotypal disorder and without a previous
These are: anxiety disorder, mixed anxiety and depressive disorder (F40-F42); dissociative disorder, somatoform disorders, stress-related disorder (F43); somatoform disorders (F44, F45, F48); eating disorder (F50); specific personality disorders (F60); other mental disorders (affective disorder F30 and
schizotypal disorder F20).
Psychiatrists called to give evidence in his defence said Bickey had a
schizotypal disorder and displayed seven of the 14 possible symptoms, bordering on psychotic.
Eight patients were diagnosed with paranoid continuous schizophrenia, 20 were diagnosed with paranoid episodic schizophrenia, 10 were diagnosed with paranoid remitted schizophrenia, and 21 were diagnosed with slow progressive (
schizotypal disorder) schizophrenia.
bilit t t l hi lf It was claimed that Bickley had abnormal and bizarre ideas and most likely has suffered from a
schizotypal disorder for a number of years.
Dr Noir Thomas, of Ashworth Secure Hospital, said Bickley satisfied his diagnosis that he had a "
schizotypal disorder".
Dr Thomas said his view was the 21-year-old best fitted a
schizotypal disorder which he felt had been present for a number of years, with the defendant displaying seven of the 14 possible symptoms.