Acute-phase treatment in general hospitals: clinical psychopharmacologic evaluation in first-episode schizophrenia patients

A case-control study was conducted to investigate possible predictors of response to antipsychotic treatment in acute schizophrenic patients. During a 14-month period, 13 female first-episode schizophrenic patients were included. According to their antipsychotic treatment response 8 weeks after admi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:General hospital psychiatry 2003, Vol.25 (1), p.39-45
Main Authors: Hatta, Kotaro, Nakamura, Hiroyuki, Matsuzaki, Ichiyo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acute Disease
Adolescent
Adult
Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Hospitalization
Hospitals, General
Humans
Insight
Length of Stay
Male
Medical sciences
Methotrimeprazine - therapeutic use
Middle Aged
Neuropharmacology
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale
Psycholeptics: tranquillizer, neuroleptic
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Risperidone
Risperidone - therapeutic use
Schizophrenia - drug therapy
Schizophrenia - rehabilitation
Time course
Treatment-resistance
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Summary:A case-control study was conducted to investigate possible predictors of response to antipsychotic treatment in acute schizophrenic patients. During a 14-month period, 13 female first-episode schizophrenic patients were included. According to their antipsychotic treatment response 8 weeks after admission, they were placed in either a good-response group ( n = 8) or poor-response group ( n = 5). Scores of the two groups differed on several items of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at baseline and during the following 8 weeks. At baseline, the maximum scores for Conceptual disorganization, Poor rapport, Passive/apathetic social withdrawal, and Stereotyped thinking in the good-response group were lower than the corresponding minimum scores in the poor-response group. Furthermore, minimum improvements after 1 week in scores for excitement in the good-response group were higher than the maximum improvements in the corresponding scores of the poor-response group. These PANSS items might serve as simple and rapid predictors of treatment resistance. In addition, Lack of judgment and insight significantly improved by 1 week, and further improved by 5 weeks in the good-response group. This suggests that treatment in the good-response group will be optimal if provided during a hospital stay of appropriate length.
ISSN:0163-8343
1873-7714
DOI:10.1016/S0163-8343(02)00252-9