Project description:IntroductionA sense of mastery refers to beliefs about having control over one's life and has been found to protect health and buffer the effect of stressful experiences.MethodsWe investigated sense of mastery in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients and population controls at baseline and at one-year follow-up. Pearlin and Schooler's Sense of Mastery scale was completed by 322 participants at baseline and by 184 participants at follow-up.ResultsPeople having experienced FEP reported lower mastery than controls at both time points, but a modest increase was seen in patients at follow-up. The strongest correlates of high baseline mastery in FEP were lower depressive symptoms and higher perceived social support, whereas positive or negative psychotic symptoms did not associate with mastery. Current depressive symptoms also correlated with mastery at the follow-up point, and change in depressive symptoms correlated with change in mastery. Higher mastery at treatment entry predicted remission of psychotic symptoms one year later. Sense of mastery was also found to mediate the association of perceived social support with depressive symptoms.DiscussionThe usefulness of mastery measures should be further tested for estimations of patient prognosis in early psychosis.
Project description:BackgroundDifferent effectiveness profiles among second-generation antipsychotics may be a key point to optimize treatment in patients suffering a first episode of psychosis to affect long-term outcome. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of aripiprazole, ziprasidone, and quetiapine in the treatment of first episode of psychosis at 3-year follow-up.MethodFrom October 2005 to January 2011, a prospective, randomized, open-label study was undertaken. Two hundred-two first-episode, drug-naïve patients were randomly assigned to aripiprazole (n=78), ziprasidone (n =62), or quetiapine (n=62) and followed-up for 3 years. The primary effectiveness measure was all cause of treatment discontinuation. In addition, an analysis based on the intention-to-treat principle was conducted in the analysis for clinical efficacy.ResultsThe overall dropout rate at 3 years reached 19.3%. Treatment discontinuation rates were significantly different among treatment groups (aripiprazole=73.08%, ziprasidone=79.03%, and quetiapine=95.16%) (χ2=11.680; P=.001). Statistically significant differences in terms of nonefficacy, nonadherence, and side effects were observed among treatment groups along the 3-year follow-up determining significant differences in time to all-cause discontinuation (log-rank=32.260; P=.001). Significant differences between treatments were found in the categories of sleepiness/sedation (χ2=9.617; P=.008) and increased sleep duration (χ2=6.192; P=.004). No significant differences were found in the profile of extrapyramidal symptoms. Patients on aripiprazole were more likely to be prescribed benzodiazepines.ConclusionsFirst-episode psychosis patients on quetiapine were more likely to discontinue treatment due to nonefficacy. Identifying different discontinuation patterns may contribute to optimize treatment selection after first episode of psychosis.
Project description:BackgroundPeople with psychosis are at higher risk of cardiovascular events, partly explained by a higher predisposition to gain weight. This has been observed in studies on individuals with a first-episode psychosis (FEP) at short and long term (mainly up to 1 year) and transversally at longer term in people with chronic schizophrenia. However, there is scarcity of data regarding longer-term (above 3-year follow-up) weight progression in FEP from longitudinal studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the longer-term (10 years) progression of weight changes and related metabolic disturbances in people with FEP.MethodsTwo hundred and nine people with FEP and 57 healthy participants (controls) were evaluated at study entry and prospectively at 10-year follow-up. Anthropometric, clinical, and sociodemographic data were collected.ResultsPeople with FEP presented a significant and rapid increase in mean body weight during the first year of treatment, followed by less pronounced but sustained weight gain over the study period (Δ15.2 kg; SD 12.3 kg). This early increment in weight predicted longer-term changes, which were significantly greater than in healthy controls (Δ2.9 kg; SD 7.3 kg). Weight gain correlated with alterations in lipid and glycemic variables, leading to clinical repercussion such as increments in the rates of obesity and metabolic disturbances. Sex differences were observed, with women presenting higher increments in body mass index than men.ConclusionsThis study confirms that the first year after initiating antipsychotic treatment is the critical one for weight gain in psychosis. Besides, it provides evidence that weight gain keep progressing even in the longer term (10 years), causing relevant metabolic disturbances.
Project description:Apathy is prevalent in first-episode psychosis (FEP) and associated with reduced global functioning. Investigations of the trajectory of apathy and its early predictors are needed to develop new treatment interventions. We here measured the levels of apathy over the first 10 years of treatment in FEP and in healthy controls (HC). We recruited 198 HC and 198 FEP participants. We measured apathy with the Apathy Evaluation Scale, self-report version, psychotic symptoms with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, depression with the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, functioning with the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, and also estimated the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). The longitudinal development of apathy and its predictors were explored using linear mixed models analyses. Associations to functioning at 10 years were investigated using multiple hierarchical linear regression analyses. In HC, mean apathy levels were low and stable. In FEP, apathy levels decreased significantly during the first year of treatment, followed by long-term stability. High individual levels of apathy at baseline were associated with higher apathy levels during the follow-up. Long DUP and high baseline levels of depression predicted higher apathy levels at follow-ups. The effect of DUP was persistent, while the effect of baseline depression decreased over time. At 10 years, apathy was statistically significantly associated with reduced functioning. The early phase of the disorder may be critical to the development of apathy in FEP.
Project description:Introduction: Research has demonstrated that functional outcome in psychosis is predicted by factors such as neurocognition, functional capacity, symptoms and, more recently, metacognition. Metacognitive ability has been demonstrated to mediate between neurocognition and functional outcome in First Episode Psychosis (FEP). Whether metacognition also predicts longer-term recovery in first episode psychosis is unknown. This study assessed whether neurocognition, functional capacity and metacognitive ability in FEP predicted functional outcome three years later. Methods: Eighty individuals with First Episode Psychosis were re-contacted after an average 3 years (range: 26-45 month follow-up) from baseline. Twenty-six participants (33%) completed completed measures of neurocognition, metacognition, functional capacity, functional outcome (hours spent in structured activity per week) and psychopathology at baseline and at follow-up. Results: Individual regression analyses demonstrated neurocognition, functional capacity, and metacognitive ability at baseline significantly predicted functional outcome at three years. However, when baseline functional outcome was controlled, only metacognitive ability was a significant predictor of change in functional outcome from baseline to follow-up, p < 0.001. This model explained 72% (adjusted r 2 = 0.69) of the variance in functional outcome at follow-up. Negative symptoms did not change the model. Discussion: This study demonstrated that better metacognitive ability significantly predicted improvement in functioning in FEP across a 3-year period. This highlights the potential value of clinical interventions that focus on improving metacognitive ability at first point of illness to maximize recovery.
Project description:Negative and cognitive symptoms are core features of schizophrenia that are correlated in cross-sectional designs. To further explore the relationship between these critical symptom dimensions we use a method for stratifying participants based on level and persistence of negative symptoms from absent to sustained levels over a 10-year follow-up period. We investigate associations with cognitive performance and level of global functioning. First-episode psychosis (FEP) participants (n = 102) and healthy controls (n = 116) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. A cognitive battery consisting of 14 tests derived into four domains and a composite score were used in the analyses. FEP participants were stratified based on negative symptom items from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-R) into four groups with either no, mild, transitory or sustained symptoms over the 10-year follow-up period. Global functioning was measured with Global Assessment of Functioning Scale-Split version. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance were used to explore between-group differences in level and course of cognitive performance as global functioning. A multivariate analysis with four cognitive domains as dependent variables, showed significant group differences in performance when including healthy controls and the negative symptom groups. The groups with no and mild negative symptoms outperformed the group with sustained levels of negative symptoms on verbal learning and memory. The group with no negative symptoms also outperformed the group with sustained negative symptoms on the cognitive composite score. Significant improvements on verbal learning and memory, executive functioning and the cognitive composite were detected for the entire sample. No differences in cognitive course were detected. There was a significant improvement in global functioning as measured by the GAF-F over the follow-up period (p < 0.001), without any time x group interactions (p = 0.25). Participants with sustained negative symptoms had a significantly lower level of global functioning at 10-year follow-up with an additional independent effect of the cognitive composite score, compared to all other groups. Individuals with an early illness course characterized by absence of negative symptoms form a group with better cognitive and functional outcomes than the impairments typically associated with schizophrenia. Individuals with sustained levels of negative symptoms on the other hand may require a combined focus on both negative and cognitive symptoms.
Project description:BackgroundPatients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) are at higher risk of gaining weight and presenting metabolic disturbances, partly related to antipsychotic exposure. Previous studies suggest that treatment discontinuation might have a positive impact on weight in schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of treatment discontinuation on weight and metabolic changes in a FEP cohort.MethodsA total of 209 FEP patients and 57 healthy controls were evaluated at study entry and prospectively at 10-year follow-up. Anthropometric measures and, clinical, metabolic, and sociodemographic data were collected.ResultsPatients discontinuing antipsychotic treatment presented a significantly lower increase in weight and better metabolic parameter results than those still on antipsychotic treatment at 10-year follow-up.ConclusionsTreatment discontinuation had a positive effect on the weight and metabolic changes observed in FEP patients; however, this effect was not sufficient to reaching a complete reversal to normal levels.
Project description:This study was aimed at characterizing long-term outcomes of first-admission psychosis and examining their baseline predictors. Participants were assessed at baseline for 38 candidate predictors and re-assessed after a median follow-up of 21 years for symptomatic, functional, and personal recovery. Associations between the predictors and the outcomes were examined using univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. At baseline, 623 subjects were assessed for eligibility, 510 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and 243 were successfully followed-up (57.3% of the survivors). At follow-up, the percentages of subjects achieving symptomatic, functional, and personal recovery were 51.9%, 52.7%, and 51.9%, respectively; 74.2% met at least one recovery criterion and 32.5% met all three recovery criteria. Univariate analysis showed that outcomes were predicted by a broad range of variables, including sociodemographics, familial risk, early risk factors, premorbid functioning, triggering factors, illness-onset features, neurological abnormalities, deficit symptoms and early response to treatment. Many of the univariate predictors became nonsignificant when entered into a hierarchical multivariate model, indicating a substantial degree of interdependence. Each single outcome component was independently predicted by parental socioeconomic status, family history of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, early developmental delay, childhood adversity, and mild drug use. Spontaneous dyskinesia/parkinsonism, neurological soft signs and completion of high school remained specific predictors of symptomatic, functional, and personal outcomes, respectively. Predictors explained between 27.5% and 34.3% of the variance in the outcomes. In conclusion, our results indicate a strong potential for background and first-episode characteristics in predicting long-term outcomes of psychotic disorders, which may inform future intervention research.
Project description:Visual hallucinations in psychosis are under-researched despite associations with increased illness severity, functional impairments, and suicidality in the few existing studies. Further, there are no long-term longitudinal studies, making it impossible to conclude if these associations are state or trait phenomena. In the current prospective longitudinal study, 184 individuals with first-episode psychosis were assessed with semi-structured clinical interviews and self-report questionnaires at baseline and 10-year follow-up. Participants were grouped based on lifetime experience of visual hallucinations: before or at baseline (VH+/+), first during follow-up (VH-/+), or never (VH-/-). Associations with functioning, suicide attempts, childhood trauma and other markers of illness severity were tested using multinomial logistic regression analysis. At baseline, the VH+/+ group (37.5%), but not VH-/+ (12.5%), had poorer functioning, higher symptom severity, a lower age at onset, and included more individuals with a history of multiple suicide attempts than the VH-/- group (50%). At follow-up, the VH-/+ group, but not VH+/+, had poorer functioning and higher symptom severity than the VH-/- group. However, the number of participants who committed multiple suicide attempts during the follow-up period was again significantly higher in the VH+/+ group. There was no association with childhood trauma. Hence, visual hallucinations are associated with impaired functioning and higher symptom severity, but only in the short-term. However, visual hallucinations that arise early in the course of illness are a risk indicator for repeated suicide attempts throughout the illness course. These findings highlight the relevance of assessing visual hallucinations and monitoring their development over time.