A study of Schneider's first-rank symptoms of schizophrenia in Nigerian patients.

A prospective evaluation of Schneider's first-rank symptoms in 56 Nigerians with RDC schizophrenia gave a prevalence of 73%. The presence of first-rank symptoms was unrelated to schizophrenic subtypes, duration or severity of illness. While some of the symptoms correlate with age of patients, the pattern of inter-correlations among them supports previous views about their empirical heterogeneity.