Clozapine use – has practice changed?

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 567-573
Author(s):  
Roberta Rowntree ◽  
Sean Murray ◽  
Felicity Fanning ◽  
Dolores Keating ◽  
Atilla Szigeti ◽  
...  

Background: One-third of individuals with schizophrenia have treatment-resistant illness. Of these, up to 60% will respond to clozapine treatment. Aims: This study retrospectively examined clozapine prescribing patterns against National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines as treatment-resistant illness emerged in a first-episode psychosis cohort. Methods: A total of 339 individuals with a first-episode psychosis were included in the study. Clozapine prescribing patterns were compared against the NICE guidelines and the impact of clozapine use on one index of service utilisation (hospitalisation) was assessed. Results: A total of 32 individuals (9.4%) from the cohort were prescribed clozapine. The mean time to clozapine trial was 2.1 years (SD 1.95; range 0.17–6.25). The mean number of adequate trials of antipsychotic prior to starting clozapine was 2.74 (SD 1.13; range 1–5). Following clozapine initiation, mean hospital admissions per year reduced from 2.3 to 0.3 ( p=0.00). Mean hospital days pre- and post-clozapine also reduced (147 vs. 53; p=0.00). In total, 18 patients discontinued clozapine use during follow-up – 5 temporarily and 13 permanently. Conclusions: Patients are being prescribed clozapine earlier than previously demonstrated, though delays are still evident, and many patients discontinue treatment. More work needs to be undertaken to understand and address factors which lead to its discontinuation.

2017 ◽  
Vol Ano 7 ◽  
pp. 8-12
Author(s):  
Ana Beatriz de Oliveira Assis ◽  
Jayse Gimenez Pereira Brandão ◽  
Pedro Otávio Piva Espósito ◽  
Osmar Tessari Junior ◽  
Bruno Berlucci Ortiz

Objetivo: Ainda não está claro quais são os fatores de risco para a esquizofrenia resistente ao tratamento (ERT) em primeiro episódio psicótico (PEP). O objetivo deste trabalho é investigar indicadores de risco para ERT em PEP. Métodos: Foram selecionados 53 pacientes em primeiro episódio psicótico, com diagnóstico de esquizofrenia, que deram entrada à enfermaria de psiquiatria do Hospital das Clínicas Luzia de Pinho Melo entre 2011 e 2015. Ao ser admitido na enfermaria, o paciente era avaliado com a Escala de Sintomas para as Síndromes Positiva e Negativa (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale – PANSS) e recebia tratamento inicial por 4 semanas. Caso sua resposta fosse inferior a 40% de redução na PANSS, o antipsicótico era trocado, e as escalas eram aplicadas novamente após mais 4 semanas. Após a falha com dois antipsicóticos, em doses plenas, por 4 semanas cada, a clozapina era introduzida, e o paciente era considerado ERT. Uma regressão logística foi aplicada onde sexo, idade de início, tempo de doença não tratada, uso de substâncias, avaliação global do funcionamento inicial e PANSS inicial total foram inseridos como variáveis independentes, e ERT foi inserida como variável dependente. Resultados: Tempo de doença não tratada apresentou significância de p = 0,038 e Exp (B) = 4,29, enquanto que PANSS total apresentou p = 0,012 e Exp (B) = 1,06. Conclusão: Identificar os fatores associados à resistência precoce ao tratamento poderia permitir aos clínicos evitar o atraso na introdução da clozapina e prevenir um pior prognóstico para esses pacientes.


2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Mashaphu ◽  
D L Mkize

<p><strong>Background.</strong> In order to gauge the impact of the HIV epidemic on psychotic disorders, the magnitude and causal direction of the association between HIV infection and psychosis need to be examined closely.</p><p><strong>Objective.</strong> To determine the HIV seropositivity rate among adult patients presenting with first-episode psychosis (FEP) to Town Hill Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.</p><p><strong>Design.</strong> A cross-sectional, point-prevalence study was done over a 6-month period.</p><p><strong>Results.</strong> Of the 63 FEP patients in the study, 48 tested HIV- negative and 15 tested positive, giving a seroprevalence rate of 23.8%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion.</strong> The prevalence of HIV seropositivity is high among patients with FEP.</p>


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. e028929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Ramu ◽  
Anna Kolliakou ◽  
Jyoti Sanyal ◽  
Rashmi Patel ◽  
Robert Stewart

ObjectivesTo investigate recorded poor insight in relation to mental health and service use outcomes in a cohort with first-episode psychosis.DesignWe developed a natural language processing algorithm to ascertain statements of poor or diminished insight and tested this in a cohort of patients with first-episode psychosis.SettingThe clinical record text at the South London and Maudsley National Health Service Trust in the UK was used.ParticipantsWe applied the algorithm to characterise a cohort of 2026 patients with first-episode psychosis attending an early intervention service.Primary and secondary outcome measuresRecorded poor insight within 1 month of registration was investigated in relation to (1) incidence of psychiatric hospitalisation, (2) odds of legally enforced hospitalisation, (3) number of days spent as a mental health inpatient and (4) number of different antipsychotic agents prescribed; outcomes were measured over varying follow-up periods from 12 months to 60 months, adjusting for a range of sociodemographic and clinical covariates.ResultsRecorded poor insight, present in 46% of the sample, was positively associated with ages 16-35, bipolar disorder and history of cannabis use and negatively associated with White ethnicity and depression. It was significantly associated with higher levels of all four outcomes over all five follow-up periods.ConclusionsRecorded poor insight in people with recent onset psychosis predicted subsequent legally enforced hospitalisations and higher number of hospital admissions, number of unique antipsychotics prescribed and days spent hospitalised. Improving insight might benefit patients’ course of illness as well as reduce mental health service use.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1394-1394
Author(s):  
D. Giacco ◽  
A. Fiorillo ◽  
V. Del Vecchio ◽  
M. Luciano ◽  
G. Sampogna ◽  
...  

IntroductionPathways to care and duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) strongly influence the long-term outcome of schizophrenia.AimsTo investigate pathways to care, duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and treatments received by a sample of individuals aged between 18 and 35 years meeting diagnostic criteria for psychosis.MethodsPathways to care and DUP were explored by an “ad-hoc” schedule administered to patients and caregivers.ResultsThe sample consists of 30 patients. The first episode of psychosis, which occurred at 19.7 (± 4.7) years, was characterized by negative symptoms and disorganized behaviours in more than half of the sample, suicide attempts (28%) and hospital admissions (26%). DUP was 41.6 ± 60.4 weeks, being longer than that reported in international literature. In 76% of cases patients’ relatives asked for a first contact with health professionals, referring the patients to psychiatrists (34% of cases), general practitioners (31%), neurologists (21%) or psychologists (13%). When professionals other than psychiatrists were contacted, the interval between the contact and receipt of appropriate psychiatric treatment (according to the current guidelines) was particularly long (15.2 ± 32.1 weeks). 34% of patients were treated with a monotherapy of psychotropic drugs: 24% with antipsychotics, 7% with anxiolytics and 3% with antidepressants; 48% received a poly-pharmacotherapy. 35% were treated with psychotherapy (in most of the cases cognitive-behavioural therapy), which was the only treatment for 18% of patients.ConclusionsThese results emphasize the need to train health professionals on diagnosis and treatment of first episode psychosis. DUP may be reduced by anti-stigma campaigns among general population.


2006 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. S41 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Power ◽  
N. Reynolds ◽  
H. Fisher ◽  
E. Iacoponi ◽  
P. Garety ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1981-1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Demjaha ◽  
J. M. Lappin ◽  
D. Stahl ◽  
M. X. Patel ◽  
J. H. MacCabe ◽  
...  

BackgroundWe examined longitudinally the course and predictors of treatment resistance in a large cohort of first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients from initiation of antipsychotic treatment. We hypothesized that antipsychotic treatment resistance is: (a) present at illness onset; and (b) differentially associated with clinical and demographic factors.MethodThe study sample comprised 323 FEP patients who were studied at first contact and at 10-year follow-up. We collated clinical information on severity of symptoms, antipsychotic medication and treatment adherence during the follow-up period to determine the presence, course and predictors of treatment resistance.ResultsFrom the 23% of the patients, who were treatment resistant, 84% were treatment resistant from illness onset. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that diagnosis of schizophrenia, negative symptoms, younger age at onset, and longer duration of untreated psychosis predicted treatment resistance from illness onset.ConclusionsThe striking majority of treatment-resistant patients do not respond to first-line antipsychotic treatment even at time of FEP. Clinicians must be alert to this subgroup of patients and consider clozapine treatment as early as possible during the first presentation of psychosis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 136 ◽  
pp. S365
Author(s):  
Helen J. Stain ◽  
Inge Joa ◽  
Tor K. Larsen ◽  
Jan Olav Johannessen ◽  
Wenche ten Velden Hegelstad ◽  
...  

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