Academic attainment: a predictor of psychiatric disorders?

Aim Poor academic performance can reflect the neurobiological abnormalities underlying schizophrenia and has been suggested as a premorbid marker for the disorder. However, it is not clear as to how academic performance compares as a marker for other mental disorders. The objective of this study was to examine whether educational attainment is a candidate marker for certain psychiatric disorders. Methods Using a retrospective cohort design, we compared the early educational performance of 6957 National Service male conscripts. The presence of mental illness was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Academic performance was assessed using the results of a standardized national examination after 6 years of primary education. Results Adjusting for ethnicity, the scores from this examination revealed that those with schizophrenia spectrum disorders scored significantly lower than those without any mental illness. Conclusions Poor educational attainment predicts the onset of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and could be a possible predictor for this specific group of mental illness.