The association of weight dissatisfaction in patients with first episode psychotic disorder and medication adherence

AbstractEarly identification and treatment significantly improve clinical outcomes of psychotic disorders. Recent studies identified protein components of the complement and coagulation systems as key pathways implicated in psychosis. These specific protein alterations are integral to the inflammatory response and can begin years before the onset of clinical symptoms of psychotic disorder. Critically, they have recently been shown to predict the transition from clinical high risk to first-episode psychosis, enabling stratification of individuals who are most likely to transition to psychotic disorder from those who are not. This reinforces the concept that the psychosis spectrum is likely a central nervous system manifestation of systemic changes and highlights the need to investigate plasma proteins as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and pathophysiological mediators. In this review, we integrate evidence of alterations in proteins belonging to the complement and coagulation protein systems, including the coagulation, anticoagulation, and fibrinolytic pathways and their dysregulation in psychosis, into a consolidated mechanism that could be integral to the progression and manifestation of psychosis. We consolidate the findings of altered blood proteins relevant for progression to psychotic disorders, using data from longitudinal studies of the general population in addition to clinical high-risk (CHR) individuals transitioning to psychotic disorder. These are compared to markers identified from first-episode psychosis and schizophrenia as well as other psychosis spectrum disorders. We propose the novel hypothesis that altered complement and coagulation plasma levels enhance their pathways’ activating capacities, while low levels observed in key regulatory components contribute to excessive activation observed in patients. This hypothesis will require future testing through a range of experimental paradigms, and if upheld, complement and coagulation pathways or specific proteins could be useful diagnostic or prognostic tools and targets for early intervention and preventive strategies.

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Brief psychotic disorder associated with quarantine and mild COVID-19

BMJ Case Reports ◽

10.1136/bcr-2020-240088 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. e240088

Author(s):

Peter M Haddad ◽

Majid Al Abdulla ◽

Javed Latoo ◽

Yousaf Iqbal

Keyword(s):

Psychotic Disorder ◽

Physical Symptoms ◽

Psychotic Symptoms ◽

First Episode ◽

Psychotic Episode ◽

Psychiatric Medication ◽

Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽

First Psychotic Episode ◽

Episode Psychosis ◽

Brief Psychotic Disorder

A 30-year-old man with no significant previous or family psychiatric history became severely anxious about his health after a positive COVID-19 test. Physical symptoms of COVID-19 were mild, with no evidence of hypoxia or pneumonia, throughout his illness. He was admitted to a quarantine facility. He remained highly anxious, and 1 week later, he developed paranoid delusions and auditory hallucinations (his first psychotic episode). He was treated with lorazepam 1 mg four times a day, mirtazapine 30 mg nocte and risperidone 1 mg two times a day. His psychotic symptoms lasted 1 week. He stopped psychiatric medication after 4 weeks and had remained well when reviewed 3 months later. A Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition diagnosis of brief psychotic disorder with marked stressor (brief reactive psychosis) was made. Anxiety about his health and social isolation appeared the main aetiological factors but an inflammatory component cannot be excluded. The case highlights that first episode psychosis can be associated with mild COVID-19.

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Estimating the incidence of first-episode psychosis using population-based health administrative data to inform early psychosis intervention services

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291718002933 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (12) ◽

pp. 2091-2099 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kelly K. Anderson ◽

Ross Norman ◽

Arlene G. MacDougall ◽

Jordan Edwards ◽

Lena Palaniyappan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychotic Disorder ◽

Administrative Data ◽

Catchment Area ◽

Population Based ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

Case Definition ◽

First Episode ◽

Affective Psychosis ◽

Health Administrative Data ◽

Episode Psychosis

AbstractBackgroundDiscrepancies between population-based estimates of the incidence of psychotic disorder and the treated incidence reported by early psychosis intervention (EPI) programs suggest additional cases may be receiving services elsewhere in the health system. Our objective was to estimate the incidence of non-affective psychotic disorder in the catchment area of an EPI program, and compare this to EPI-treated incidence estimates.MethodsWe constructed a retrospective cohort (1997–2015) of incident cases of non-affective psychosis aged 16–50 years in an EPI program catchment using population-based linked health administrative data. Cases were identified by either one hospitalization or two outpatient physician billings within a 12-month period with a diagnosis of non-affective psychosis. We estimated the cumulative incidence and EPI-treated incidence of non-affective psychosis using denominator data from the census. We also estimated the incidence of first-episode psychosis (people who would meet the case definition for an EPI program) using a novel approach.ResultsOur case definition identified 3245 cases of incident non-affective psychosis over the 17-year period. We estimate that the incidence of first-episode non-affective psychosis in the program catchment area is 33.3 per 100 000 per year (95% CI 31.4–35.1), which is more than twice as high as the EPI-treated incidence of 18.8 per 100 000 per year (95% CI 17.4–20.3).ConclusionsCase ascertainment strategies limited to specialized psychiatric services may substantially underestimate the incidence of non-affective psychotic disorders, relative to population-based estimates. Accurate information on the epidemiology of first-episode psychosis will enable us to more effectively resource EPI services and evaluate their coverage.

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