At present, in absence of reliable clinical and evolutionary data, it is difficult to determine what the consequences of an acute psychotic disorder, specifically if it is a mode of entry into schizophrenia, a mood disorder or a short-lived episode.

The objective of this study was to describe the sociodemographic characteristics and evolutionary modalities of a population of patients with a first psychotic episode.

This is a retrospective descriptive study, which involved patients admitted to psychiatric ward EPS Mahdia for acute psychotic disorder according to DSM-VI-TR criteria. Data collection was conducted from archived observations and through a predetermined sheet.

One hundred and eleven patients were collected. The average age of the study population was 27years, a male predominance was noted (59.5%), 52.3% were from urban, 73% of patients were single, 33.3% were from a consanguineous marriage. Among those patients with a first acute psychotic episode, 43 patients (38.7%) progressed to schizophrenia, 15.3% to bipolar disorder, 23, 4% to recovery while 22.5% were lost view.

The long-term evolution of an acute psychotic disorder remains unpredictable. In fact, the severity is related primarily to the risk of developing a schizophrenic disorder or a mood disorder. In this context, attention is paid in recent years to recognize and seek the earliest possible factors associated with this development.