Treatment Response on Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia with Olanzapine and Risperidone

Introduction: Positive symptoms become perceptible in patients as schizophrenia progresses. If schizophrenia goes untreated catatonic motor behaviors are develops. Now a day’s catatonia which is a type of disturbed behavior is observed, with less frequency than in past years due to advances in treating schizophrenia. Treatment of schizophrenia by olanzapine and risperidone shows diverse outcomes. Objectives: To assess the response on positive symptoms of schizophrenia by olanzapine and risperidone. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in Department of Pharmacology and Department of Psychiatry of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka during the period from September 2013 to January 2015. A total of 179 schizophrenia patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled and of them 75 patients completed the study, where 40 were in olanzapine treated group and 35 were in risperidone treated group in a 12-weeks assessment where Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) was applied. After statistical analysis of scores between intergroup and intra group p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Treatment with both the olanzapine and risperidone were remarkably effective for progress of positive symptoms of schizophrenia patients but in olanzapine treated group the score was reduced more than that of risperidone treated group and the difference was significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Olanzapine has responded better on positive symptoms of schizophrenia patients than that of risperidone. Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.15 (1) 2019: 58-60

Intermediate or brainless phenotypes for psychiatric research?

For highly heritable brain disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism, investigating genetic effects on the level of neural systems seems an obvious approach. Nevertheless, the usefulness of the intermediate phenotypes (‘endo’ phenotypes) continues to be debated energetically. We argue that, while not all intermediate phenotypes are created equal, the hypothesis-driven investigation of the translational cascades linking genetic variation to disturbed behavior is a viable and important strategy that should not be supplanted by an exclusive focus on brainless, clinical/categorical phenotypes investigated in very large numbers of participants.

Patterns of Disturbed Behavior in a Supermax Population

Results of a systematic survey of the clinical status of supermax residents, showing the association of mental health issues with disruptive behavior, are followed by eight brief case studies. The survey covers 131 inmates selected at random from Washington's supermax facilities, representing almost half the residents. From interviews with 87 of these inmates, combined with reviews of medical and institutional behavior records, it is concluded that 45% of supermax residents suffer from serious mental illness, marked psychological symptoms, psychological breakdowns, or brain damage. With this empirical grounding, an argument is presented that the concept of disturbed behavior, notwithstanding its lack of a clear diagnostic reference, is needed if we are to understand interactions between prison settings and the mental health issues of prisoners. The clinical profile and histories of disturbed prisoners provide reasons to establish greater flexibility in prison classification and disciplinary procedures, especially those that determine how long prisoners stay in supermax. Institutional obstacles to flexibility are diagnosed, and the possibility of shrinking supermax populations is proposed.