Correlation between duration of untreated psychosis and working memory in early-onset psychotic disorders

BackgroundThe longitudinal neuropsychological study of first-episode early-onset psychosis (EOP) patients, whose brain maturation is still in progress at the time of illness onset, provides a unique opportunity to compare their cognitive development with that of healthy subjects, in search of specific patterns resulting from the interaction between neurodevelopmental processes and the presence of psychotic disorders.MethodSeventy-five first-episode EOP patients (schizophrenia n = 35; bipolar disorder n = 17; other forms of psychosis n = 23) with a mean age of 15.53 years were assessed with a neuropsychological battery that included measures of attention, working memory, memory and executive functions within 6 months following the onset of the first psychotic symptom (baseline) and 2 years later. Psychotic symptoms were assessed at both times with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). Seventy-nine healthy subjects matched for age and education served as controls.ResultsEOP patients showed significant cognitive impairment at both baseline and the 2-year follow-up, with no significant differences between diagnostic groups at either time. Both healthy controls and EOP patients improved in all cognitive measures, except for patient working memory. Improvement in patient attention lost significance after controlling for psychotic symptom reduction. No significant time/diagnosis interaction was found among patients (p > 0.405).ConclusionsCognitive impairment in EOP is already present at the first episode, and cognitive development seems to be arrested early in EOP patients compared to their healthy peers, at least for some cognitive functions. These and previous similar results support the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of psychosis.

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Duration of untreated psychosis of first-episode psychotic disorders in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Journal of Analytical Research in Clinical Medicine ◽

10.15171/jarcm.2019.011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 61-64

Author(s):

Carla R. Marchira ◽

Irwan Supriyanto

Keyword(s):

Psychotic Disorders ◽

Rating Scale ◽

First Episode ◽

Medical Facility ◽

Duration Of Untreated Psychosis ◽

Global Assessment Of Functioning ◽

Global Functioning ◽

Syndrome Scale ◽

Negative Syndrome ◽

Gaf Scores

Introduction: Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is an important predictor for prognosis in first episode of psychotic disorders. Caregivers often seek help from alternative healers first and health professional later. These would delay proper treatments for the patients, resulting in more severe symptoms and lower functioning on their visit to medical facility. The present study aims to find the association between DUP, symptoms severity, and global functioning in patients with first-episode psychotic disorders. Methods: We identified 100 patients with first episode of psychotic disorders and their caregivers. The instruments used were Brief Psychotic Rating Scale (BPRS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Premorbid Schizoid-Schizotypal Traits (PSST), and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Results: There were no significant association between BPRS, PANSS, PSST, and GAF scores and DUP in our subjects. Nevertheless, we found that men had significantly longer DUP compared to women. Conclusion: We found significant association between sex and DUP in this study. Longer DUP leads to delayed treatments and poorer prognosis. Further study is required to confirm our finding.

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Age at onset and outcome in schizophrenia are related to the degree of familial loading

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.173.6.494 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 173 (6) ◽

pp. 494-500 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Jaana M. Suvisaari ◽

Jari Haukka ◽

Antti Tanskanen ◽

Jouko K. Lönnqvist

Keyword(s):

Mixed Models ◽

Early Onset ◽

Disability Pension ◽

Psychotic Disorders ◽

Age At Onset ◽

Cox Proportional Hazard Model ◽

Proportional Hazard ◽

Proportional Hazard Model ◽

Cox Proportional Hazard ◽

The Relationship

BackgroundRecent research suggests that high familial loading is associated with early onset of schizophrenia. Results concerning outcome have been controversial.MethodWe assessed the relationship between familial loading, age at onset and outcome in all Finnish patients with schizophrenia born between 1950 and 1969. Patients and their first-degree relatives were identified using nationwide registers. Familial loading scores were calculated for schizophrenia and for combined psychotic disorders, and patients were accordingly classified into three groups: high (n = 761), intermediate (n = 14 247), and low familial loading (n = 725). Linear mixed models and the Cox proportional hazard model were used in the analyses.ResultsOnset was earliest, hospitalisation longest and risk of retirement in receipt of a disability pension highest in the group with high familial loading, with opposite extremes found in the group with low familial loading.ConclusionsHigh familial loading for schizophrenia is associated with early onset and poor outcome of schizophrenia.

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