Remission in schizophrenia: analysis in a naturalistic setting.
(2009) In Comprehensive Psychiatry 50(3). p.200-208- Abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate the recently defined Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia remission criteria in a naturalistic setting of psychotic patients; to identify causal factors that change remission status; and to validate the criteria against global indices of illness, cognitive functions, and social outcome. METHODS: This was a longitudinal naturalistic study of 162 patients, diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related psychotic disorders (mean illness duration, 11 years) and treated with risperidone at study entry. Symptoms, drug treatment, cognitive function, and social outcome were measured at baseline and annually for 5 years. Remission was constructed retrospectively with only indirect data on stability... (More)
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate the recently defined Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia remission criteria in a naturalistic setting of psychotic patients; to identify causal factors that change remission status; and to validate the criteria against global indices of illness, cognitive functions, and social outcome. METHODS: This was a longitudinal naturalistic study of 162 patients, diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related psychotic disorders (mean illness duration, 11 years) and treated with risperidone at study entry. Symptoms, drug treatment, cognitive function, and social outcome were measured at baseline and annually for 5 years. Remission was constructed retrospectively with only indirect data on stability over time. RESULTS: At study entry, 40% of the patients with schizophrenia were in symptomatic remission, stabilizing between 55% and 60% after a few years. The need for hospitalization became less frequent over time; initially 31%, dropping to 7% by years 4 and 5. Many patients went in and out of remission. Remission was strongly associated with global indices of illness, with intact insight and with social outcome (except work/studies) but not with cognition or medication. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of certain weaknesses of the study, we may conclude that current definition of remission is primarily a symptomatic measure, covering a subset of symptoms, some of which are not schizophrenia-specific. Although the definition may be clinically relevant, we must be aware of the risk that the connotation of the word could induce too much focus on symptom control. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1392014
- author
- Eberhard, Jonas LU ; Levander, Sten LU and Lindström, Eva LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2009
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Comprehensive Psychiatry
- volume
- 50
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 200 - 208
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000265655400002
- pmid:19374962
- scopus:64149090606
- ISSN
- 0010-440X
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.comppsych.2008.08.010
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e3f4f843-0a0c-4e4a-9bfc-78879a7a744e (old id 1392014)
- alternative location
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19374962?dopt=Abstract
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 09:29:12
- date last changed
- 2022-01-29 18:05:34
@article{e3f4f843-0a0c-4e4a-9bfc-78879a7a744e, abstract = {{OBJECTIVE: To investigate the recently defined Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia remission criteria in a naturalistic setting of psychotic patients; to identify causal factors that change remission status; and to validate the criteria against global indices of illness, cognitive functions, and social outcome. METHODS: This was a longitudinal naturalistic study of 162 patients, diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related psychotic disorders (mean illness duration, 11 years) and treated with risperidone at study entry. Symptoms, drug treatment, cognitive function, and social outcome were measured at baseline and annually for 5 years. Remission was constructed retrospectively with only indirect data on stability over time. RESULTS: At study entry, 40% of the patients with schizophrenia were in symptomatic remission, stabilizing between 55% and 60% after a few years. The need for hospitalization became less frequent over time; initially 31%, dropping to 7% by years 4 and 5. Many patients went in and out of remission. Remission was strongly associated with global indices of illness, with intact insight and with social outcome (except work/studies) but not with cognition or medication. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of certain weaknesses of the study, we may conclude that current definition of remission is primarily a symptomatic measure, covering a subset of symptoms, some of which are not schizophrenia-specific. Although the definition may be clinically relevant, we must be aware of the risk that the connotation of the word could induce too much focus on symptom control.}}, author = {{Eberhard, Jonas and Levander, Sten and Lindström, Eva}}, issn = {{0010-440X}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{3}}, pages = {{200--208}}, publisher = {{Elsevier}}, series = {{Comprehensive Psychiatry}}, title = {{Remission in schizophrenia: analysis in a naturalistic setting.}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2008.08.010}}, doi = {{10.1016/j.comppsych.2008.08.010}}, volume = {{50}}, year = {{2009}}, }