Incidence of Psychotic Disorders Higher in More Recent Birth Cohorts

TUESDAY, Feb. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of psychotic disorders has increased in more recent birth cohorts, according to a study published online Feb. 2 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.Daniel T. Myran, M.D., M.P.H., from North York General Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study involving people born between 1960 and 2009 in Ontario, Canada, to examine trends in the incidence of psychotic diseases. Data were included for 12,231,314 people, of whom 152,587 (0.9 percent) were diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.The researchers found that between 1997 and 2023, the annual incidence of psychotic disorders increased by 60 percent among people aged 14 to 20 years and was stable or declined among those aged 21 to 50 years. The incidence of psychotic disorders increased across birth cohorts, while the age of diagnosis decreased. Age-period-cohort models indicated that the incidence of schizophrenia was higher among those born in 2000 to 2004 versus those born in 1975 to 1979 (incidence rate ratio, 1.70); across birth cohorts, increases in psychosis not otherwise specified were greater than increases in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (incidence rate ratio, 2.89 versus 1.32). Compared with those born in 1975 to 1979, the percentage who had been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder at age 20 and 30 years was 104 and 37.5 percent higher for those born in 2000 to 2004 and 1990 to 1994, respectively."We don't yet know what's driving these changes, and it's likely there isn't a single explanation," Myran said in a statement. "Understanding what's behind this trend will be critical to prevention and early support."One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Incidence of Psychotic Disorders Higher in More Recent Birth Cohorts

Related Stories