ARIPPRIPAZOLE AND ITS POTENTIAL EFFECT IN REDUCING COCAINE CRAVING IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS WITH COCAINE-DEPENDENCE

Goals: Non-systematic literature review of the role of aripiprazole in alleviating cocaine craving in schizophrenic patients with cocaine-dependence (CD). Material and methods: From the review performed, 2 studies outstand: In one study, 6 schizophrenic patients with CD completed 8 weeks of treatment with aripiprazole at a maximum dose of 15 mg/d. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Brief Substance Craving Scale (BSCS) were used to measure psychosis and subjective cocaine and alcohol cravings and urine tests for cocaine were performed. In another study, 44 CD patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were treated with aripiprazole or perphenazine during 8 weeks. The perphenazine group received the recommended dosage not exceeding 24 mg/d and the patients receiving aripripazole were started on 15 mg/d to a maximum of 30 mg/d or a minimum of 10 mg/d. Primary outcome targeted cocaine-free urine sample proportions, whereas secondary outcome focused on cocaine craving scores. BSCS was used to assess cocaine craving and the positive and negative symptom scale and the clinical global impression scale were used to monitor psychotic symptom severities. Results and conclusion: In the first study, positive urine tests dropped significantly after 2 weeks, mean cocaine and acohol craving scores declined significantly, and declining psychosis scores were associated with declining cocaine and alcohol craving. In the second study, the proportion of negative drug test results did not differ significantly between patients treated with aripiprazol or perphenazine. Regarding the anticraving effect, in the aripiprazol group during week 3 to 8, significant reductions in craving intensity, frequency and duration were seen, while no similar reduction was seen with perphenazine. In conclusion, although the results are still limited, studies suggest that aripiprazol may have a potential effect in dual diagnosis patients with schizophrenia and CD, possibly due to its dopamine activity as a partial agonist/antagonist.

Correlations between standard auditory evoked potentials and symptomatology in a group of 50 schizophrenic patients

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(97)83563-8 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 387-394

Author(s):

T Bougerol ◽

A Benraiss ◽

JC Scotto

Keyword(s):

Evoked Potentials ◽

Mixed Type ◽

Auditory Evoked Potentials ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Positive Type ◽

Type Group ◽

Negative Type ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

SummaryStandard auditory evoked potentials (AEP) were recorded in 50 schizophrenic patients and 47 normal controls. All patients were rated on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and were classified in three groups (positive-type [n = 10], negative-type [n = 23]and mixed-type [n = 17]patients) according to the normative criteria suggested by Kay. The mean latencies of AEP components (N1, P2, N2) and mean peak-to-peak amplitudes (N1P2, P2N2) did not correlate with age, duration of illness, length of hospitalisation or neuroleptic dosage. The evoked response did not differ between the three groups of patients (positive, negative and mixed). There was only a trend (P = 0.075) to a longer N1 latency in the negative-type group and a shorter one in the positive-type group than in the mixed-type and the control groups. The latency of N1 component correlated significantly with negative symptoms of schizophrenia (SANS scores). This correlation was related to the severity of a depressive dimension of the disorder reflected by the “depressive factor” of BPRS or “affective flattening” and “avolition” subscales of SANS.

Symptomatic Response to Antipsychotics Differs between Recent Onset and Recurrent Chronic Schizophrenic Patients

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.3109/00048679209072064 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 417-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Christine Hill ◽

Nicholas A. Keks ◽

Henry Jackson ◽

Jayashri Kulkarni ◽

Deborah Hannah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Symptoms ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Active Phase ◽

Retardation Factor ◽

Antipsychotic Treatment ◽

Recent Onset ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Psychiatric Rating ◽

First Admission

The symptomatic response to standard antipsychotic treatment was assessed over the first 4 weeks of hospitalisation in 39 patients with DSM-III schizophrenia, active phase, using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). While highly significant improvement was noted overall, 36% of patients either did not improve or worsened. Furthermore there was no diminution in the withdrawal-retardation factor of the BPRS. Patients experiencing their first admission to hospital, all with recent-onset illness, were then compared with patients who presented with a recurrence and had illness of at least 3 years duration. Despite similarities in overall response, withdrawal-retardation scores did not diminish in recent-onset patients, in contrast to multiple admissions who demonstrated significant improvement. These findings suggest greater responsiveness of negative symptoms to treatment in patients with longstanding illness, and possibly a poorer prognosis in first admission patients with deficit manifestations.

Specific cognitive flexibility rehabilitation in schizophrenia

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291700039015 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 221-227 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Ann Delahunty ◽

Rodney Morice ◽

Barry Frost

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Test Performance ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Training Approach ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Psychiatric Rating ◽

Performance Gains

SynopsisA Cognitive Shift neurocognitive training module was developed in the attempt to ameliorate cognitive flexibility deficits in chronic schizophrenic patients. A procedural training approach hypothesized the exercise of specific neural network processes, identified from theories of frontal and prefrontal lobe functioning. Three male patients who underwent the intensive program demonstrated significant gains in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance, gains that were maintained at a six month reassessment. Expanded Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (a measure of symptomatology) and Life Skills Profile (a measure of daily functioning) measures showed smaller improvements. The ability to improve cognitive flexibility could have important implications for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Evaluation of Mini Mental State Examination and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale on aged schizophrenic patients

Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences ◽

10.1111/j.1440-1819.1998.tb02701.x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 52 (6) ◽

pp. 567-570 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

HARUO SENO ◽

MASAHIRO SHIBATA ◽

AKIHIKO FUJIMOTO ◽

KAORU KOGA ◽

HIROSHI KANNO ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental State ◽

Mini Mental State Examination ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Psychiatric Rating ◽

State Examination

Effect of an Open-Door Policy Combined with a Structured Activity Programme on the Residual Symptoms of Schizophrenic In-Patients

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/s0007125000292982 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 165 (S24) ◽

pp. 52-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Zhengshu Jin

Keyword(s):

Negative Symptoms ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Control Group ◽

Open Door Policy ◽

Residual Symptoms ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Psychiatric Rating ◽

And Control ◽

Experimental Group

Fifty female schizophrenic patients on the same locked ward were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Experimental group subjects were given as much autonomy and freedom as possible (they were permitted to leave the ward at will) and were encouraged to take part in collective activities. The control group were not permitted to leave the ward and did not take part in these activities. All patients were evaluated at enrolment and after six months – using Chinese versions of the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale – by psychiatrists who were blind to patients' treatment status. After the six-month intervention the severity of all types of both negative and positive symptoms and the mean dosage of medication in the experimental group were significantly less than in the control group.

Schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia: Clinical differences

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.1631 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. s831-s831

Author(s):

F. Romosan ◽

L.M. Ienciu ◽

A.M. Romosan ◽

R.S. Romosan

Keyword(s):

Sex Education ◽

Schizoaffective Disorder ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Psychiatric Clinic ◽

Two Samples ◽

Icd 10 ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Competing Interest ◽

IntroductionSchizoaffective disorder (SAD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are important causes of disability and morbidity. Finding clinical features that can help in their early differentiation may lead to a better understanding of these two nosologic entities.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to find clinical differences between SAD and SZ.MethodsWe selected for this study 83 inpatients from the Timisoara Psychiatric Clinic, diagnosed with either SAD (n = 35) or SZ (n = 48), according to ICD-10 criteria. The research was conducted between 2014 and 2016. Socio-demographic (age, sex, education, marital status) and clinical data were analysed. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was used to assess symptom severity.ResultsDelusions of grandiosity were found significantly more frequent in SAD patients (P = 0.001). By contrast, bizzare delusions (P = 0.025), derealization phenomena (P = 0.03) and negative symptoms (P = 0.003) appeared more frequent in schizophrenic patients. We found no significant differences between the two samples regarding onset age, number of episodes, duration of episode, duration of remission and suicidal thoughts/attempts. Although the SZ sample had higher BPRS total scores than SAD patients, the differences were not statistically significant.ConclusionsEven though SAD and SZ are very similar in respect to their clinical presentation, this study also revealed certain differences that may enhance specific knowledge regarding these two disorders.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Propranolol in Chronic Schizophrenia: A Controlled Study in Neuroleptic-Treated Patients

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.137.2.126 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 137 (2) ◽

pp. 126-130 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Leif H. Lindström ◽

Eva Persson

Keyword(s):

Rating Scale ◽

Chronic Schizophrenia ◽

Placebo Treatment ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Psychotic Symptoms ◽

Double Blind ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Psychiatric Rating ◽

High Doses

The effect of propranolol at a dose level of 1,280–1,920 mg per day was studied with a double-blind crossover design in twelve chronic schizophrenics with persistent psychotic symptoms despite maintenance treatment with a depot neuroleptic. By use of a psychiatric rating scale (CPRS), an improvement was seen during the two week period of propranolol compared to placebo treatment in six patients, whereas three patients were unchanged and three deteriorated. The effect on total symptom scores for the whole group was significantly better after propranolol. The data indicate that propranolol in high doses has an antipsychotic effect in some schizophrenic patients when receiving neuroleptics.

An open trial of clozapine in neuroleptic-resistant childhood-onset schizophrenia

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.170.6.507 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 170 (6) ◽

pp. 507-510 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

M. Turetz ◽

T. Mozes ◽

P. Toren ◽

T. Chernauzan ◽

R. Yoran-Hegesh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rating Scale ◽

Favourable Outcome ◽

Childhood Onset ◽

Conventional Antipsychotics ◽

Syndrome Scale ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Childhood Onset Schizophrenia ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Psychiatric Rating ◽

BackgroundStudies performed with schizophrenic adults who were resistant to classical neuroleptics showed improvement in 30% of the patients when treated with clozapine. Very early onset schizophrenic patients benefit only partially from conventional antipsychotics and are at increased risk of developing extrapyramidal symptoms; clozapine may offer an alternative treatment for these patients.MethodEleven neuroleptic-resistant children (< 13 years) with schizophrenia were treated with clozapine. Improvement was monitored during the first 16 weeks using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Clinical Global Impression. The mean clozapine dosage was 227.3 (s.d. 34.4) mg/day at the end of the 16 weeks.ResultsThere was an overall statistically significant reduction in all parameters, especially positive symptoms, implying a favourable outcome. Most of the improvement occurred during the first 6 to 8 weeks. The major side-effects were somnolence and drooling (no agranulocytosis).ConclusionClozapine may be a promising drug for the treatment of resistant childhood-onset schizophrenia.

Validation of the Italian version of Mini-ICF-APP, a short instrument for rating activity and participation restrictions in psychiatric disorders

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences ◽

10.1017/s2045796012000480 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 81-91 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

M. Balestrieri ◽

M. Isola ◽

R. Bonn ◽

T. Tam ◽

A. Vio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychosocial Functioning ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Social Performance ◽

International Classification Of Functioning ◽

Italian Version ◽

Participation Restrictions ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Psychiatric Rating ◽

Aims.The assessment of limitations in social capacities can be done with the Mini-ICF-APP, a rating scale built in reference to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and the convergent validity of the Italian version of this scale.Methods.We recruited 120 consecutive patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar I disorder and anxiety disorders. Included measures were the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S), the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS).Results.The median CGI-S and BPRS scores were 5 and 16.5. Mean Mini-ICF-APP total score was 18.1. Schizophrenics' Mini-ICF-APP score was higher, while that of anxious patients was lower than in the other diagnoses. Intra-class correlations (ICC) revealed a significant inter-rater agreement for total score (ICC 0.987) and for each item of the Mini-ICF-APP. The test–retest agreement was also highly significant (ICC 0.993). The total score of the Mini-ICF-APP obtained good negative correlations with PSP (rs = −0.767) and with SOFAS scores (rs = −0.790). The distribution items of the Mini-ICF-APP showed some skewness, indicating that self-care (item 12) and mobility (item 13) were amply preserved in most patients. The Mini-ICF-APP total score was significantly correlated with both CGI-S (rs = 0.777) and BPRS (rs = 0.729).Conclusions.As a short instrument, the Mini-ICF-APP scale seems to be well suited to everyday psychiatric practice as a means of monitoring changes in psychosocial functioning, in particular in schizophrenic patients.

Evaluation of the factors interfering with drug treatment compliance among Brazilian patients with schizophrenia

Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1590/s1516-44462005000300005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 178-184 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Moacyr Alexandro Rosa ◽

Marco Antônio Marcolin ◽

Hélio Elkis

Keyword(s):

Rating Scale ◽

Treatment Compliance ◽

Psychotic Symptoms ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Duration Of Treatment ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Treatment Noncompliance ◽

One Year ◽

Schizophrenic Outpatients

BACKGROUND: Treatment noncompliance among schizophrenic patients is as high as 50%. In order to rate compliance and assess the most significant differences between compliant and noncompliant patients, a Brazilian population of schizophrenic outpatients was followed for one year. METHODS: Fifty outpatients were selected. Clinical interview, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale - Anchored version (BPRS-A) and an expanded version of the Rating of Medical Influences (ROMI) scale (used to rate patient attitudes toward compliance) were applied at baseline. The BPRS-A was used in the follow-up visits (approximately once a month). Missing two consecutive appointments without explanation or taking less than 75% of the medication (by written family report) was considered noncompliance. RESULTS: Noncompliance was 48% over one year. Patients in the noncompliant group presented initial worsening of psychotic symptoms (p< 0.05) and had been treated for a shorter length of time (p = 0.007). The ROMI scale showed that "perceived day-to-day benefit" was most strongly correlated with compliance, and feeling "distressed by side effects" was most strongly correlated with noncompliance. DISCUSSON: This study evaluates the frequency of noncompliance and the main reasons for complying in a population of schizophrenic outpatients. CONCLUSIONS: Severity of psychopathology was found to correlate with noncompliance (although not necessarily as its cause), as well as with duration of treatment. Noncompliance rates are high and must be taken into account in any treatment program.