Psychosis and substance abuse increase the COVID-19 mortality risk.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a global challenge. High mortality rates have been reported in some risk groups, including patients with pre-existing mental disorders. METHODS: We used electronic health records to retrospectively identify people infected due to COVID-19 (between March 2020 and March 2021) in the three territories of the Basque Country. COVID-19 cases were defined as individuals who had tested positive on a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models and multilevel analyses with generalized estimated equations were used to determine factors associated with COVID-19-related mortality and hospital admission. RESULTS: The COVID-19 mortality rate was increased for patients with psychotic disorders [odds ratio (OR) adjusted: 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.09-1.94), p = 0.0114] and patients with substance abuse [OR adjusted: 1.88, 95% CI (1.13-3.14, p < 0.0152)]. The mortality rate was lower for patients with affective disorders [OR adjusted: 0.80, 95% CI (0.61-0.99), p = 0.0407]. Hospital admission rates due to COVID-19 were higher in psychosis [OR adjusted: 2.90, 95% CI (2.36-3.56), p < 0.0001] and anxiety disorder groups [OR adjusted: 1.54, 95% CI (1.37-1.72), p < 0.0001]. Among admitted patients, COVID-19 mortality rate was decreased for those with affective disorders rate [OR adjusted: 0.72, 95% CI (0.55-0.95), p = 0.0194]. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19-related mortality and hospitalizations rates were higher for patients with a pre-existing psychotic disorder.

Effect of long-acting antipsychotic treatment on psychiatric hospitalization rate in early psychosis patients: a naturalistic study.

Background: The effectiveness of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics in preventing relapses of first-episode psychosis is currently debated. Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the number of psychiatric hospitalizations comparing the LAI cohort versus the oral cohort during different phases of the illness, pre-LAI treatment, during LAI treatment, and after LAI treatment. Design: A naturalistic study was conducted on two independent cohorts of early psychosis patients receiving treatment from a specific early intervention service. The first cohort comprised 228 patients who received LAIs, while the second cohort comprised 667 patients who had never received LAIs. Methods: This study was designed as a longitudinal observational study conducted within a naturalistic clinical setting in two cohorts of early psychosis patients. Repeated series ANCOVA (ANCOVA-r) was used to study the number of hospitalizations in the different study periods (T1 = from the date of the first psychiatric record to the beginning of the mirror period; T2 = the mirror period; T3 = from the LAI implementation to the LAI discontinuation; and T4 = from the LAI discontinuation to the end). In all cases, discontinuation of LAI involved the return to oral treatment. In all, 35 patients had not T4 as they were still on LAI treatment at the time of database closing (September 2020), and their data were not included in the analysis of the effect of the LAI discontinuation. Results: The patients in the LAI cohort were younger, more frequently males, presented more schizophrenia diagnoses, and had a higher number of hospitalizations (2.50 ± 2.61 versus 1.19 ± 1.69; p < 0.001) than the oral cohort. The number of hospitalizations at the end of the follow-up was higher in the LAI cohort [0.20 (standard deviation (SD)) = 0.79] versus 0.45 [SD = 0.45 (SD = 1.13); F(23.90), p < 0.001]. However, after the introduction of LAIs, the differences in hospitalization rates between the two cohorts became less pronounced. Once LAI treatment was ceased, the hospitalization rate increased again. Conclusion: In our study, early psychosis patients receiving LAIs experienced a greater decrease in hospitalizations after introducing the LAI treatment than those treated solely with oral medication. These findings support using LAIs as a viable strategy for preventing rehospitalization and improving the overall course of treatment for individuals with early psychosis.

Proportion and predictors of remission and recovery in first-episode psychosis: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To determine the proportion of patients in symptomatic remission and recovery following a first-episode of psychosis (FEP). METHODS: A multistep literature search using the Web of Science database, Cochrane Central Register of Reviews, Ovid/PsychINFO, and trial registries from database inception to November 5, 2020, was performed. Cohort studies and randomized control trials (RCT) investigating the proportion of remission and recovery following a FEP were included. Two independent researchers searched, following PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines and using a PROSPERO protocol. We performed meta-analyses regarding the proportion of remission/recovery (symptomatic plus functional outcomes). Heterogeneity was measured employing Q statistics and I2 test. To identify potential predictors, meta-regression analyses were conducted, as well as qualitative reporting of studies included in a systematic review. Sensitivity analyses were performed regarding different times of follow-up and type of studies. RESULTS: One hundred articles (82 cohorts and 18 RCTs) were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled proportion of symptomatic remission was 54% (95%CI [30, 49-58]) over a mean follow-up period of 43.57 months (SD = 51.82) in 76 studies. After excluding RCT from the sample, the proportion of remission remained similar (55%). The pooled proportion of recovery was 32% (95%CI [27-36]) over a mean follow-up period of 71.85 months (SD = 73.54) in 40 studies. After excluding RCT from the sample, the recovery proportion remained the same. No significant effect of any sociodemographic or clinical predictor was found. CONCLUSIONS: Half of the patients are in symptomatic remission around 4 years after the FEP, while about a third show recovery after 5.5 years.

Early intervention services, patterns of prescription and rates of discontinuation of antipsychotic treatment in first-episode psychosis.

AIMS: Non-compliance is still an important problem in psychotic patients. Although antipsychotic (AP) treatment leads to a decrease in psychotic relapses, there are no clear recommendations about how long treatment should be maintained after first-episode psychosis (FEP) and no indication of the rates and causes of treatment withdrawal in this group. METHODS: We evaluated a large sample of patients with FEP for 2 years to compare the time to all-cause treatment discontinuation of AP drugs and the time to the first relapse. We collected the sociodemographic and psychopathological characteristics of the sample. The number of relapses was also recorded. RESULTS: A total of 310 FEP patients were assessed across seven early intervention teams (mean age = 30.2 years; SD = 11.2). The most prevalent diagnosis at baseline was psychotic disorder not otherwise specified (36.1%), and the most commonly used APs were risperidone (26.5%) and olanzapine (18.7%). A lack of efficacy was the most frequent reason for the withdrawal of the first AP prescribed, followed by non-compliance. There were no differences in the relapse rates between different APs. Patients treated with long-acting injectable (LAI) APs presented less disengagement from services than patients treated with oral APs. CONCLUSIONS: Although there were no differences between the different APs in terms of relapse rates, LAIs had higher retention rates than oral APs in early intervention services. Compliance is still an important issue in Psychiatry, so clinicians should use different strategies to encourage it, such as the use of LAI treatments.

Premorbid personality and psychopathological dimensions in first-episode psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Broadening our knowledge of the relationship between personality and psychopathological dimensions in psychosis would provide insights into the nature of their underlying pathophysiology. Research, to date, has been carried out in chronic samples and the possibility that the personality assessment may have been contaminated by the psychotic episode cannot be ruled out. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between personality and psychopathology in a 'first-episode psychosis' sample using a dimensional approach. METHOD: Premorbid personality dimensions of 94 consecutively admitted 'first-episode psychosis' patients were assessed through the information collected from parents or a close biological relative. A semi-structured interview (Premorbid Assessment Schedule; [Tyrer, P., 1988. Personality Disorders: Diagnosis, management and course. Wright, London]) was used by a rater, blind to the patients' psychopathological symptoms. Associations between dimensions of premorbid personality and psychopathology were examined through Pearson correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The negative dimension was strongly associated with higher scores on the schizoid dimension. Additionally, trends towards significant direct associations were found between the negative dimension and both the passive-dependent and the schizotypic dimensions, between the hostility/suspiciousness dimension and both sociopathic and passive-dependent dimensions, and between the manic dimension and the obsessional dimension. Canonical correlation analysis demonstrated that premorbid personality dimensions explained 17% of the variance of psychopathological dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that premorbid personality dimensions may shape the expression of psychosis. Moreover, we hypothesize that certain personality dimensions, such as the schizoid dimension, should be considered nonspecific risk factors for expression of higher levels of negative symptomatology at the beginning of psychosis.

Psychopathological dimensions in first-episode psychoses. From the trunk to the branches and leaves.

BACKGROUND: Dimensional frameworks for structuring psychopathology have been formulated in recent years to overcome classification problems of categorical approaches. However, few studies have addressed the dilemma of hierarchy within symptoms or dimensions in psychosis. METHODS: This study was designed to examine the hierarchical structure of psychopathological dimensions in first episode psychosis. The sample consisted of 94 first-episode patients psychosis. An exhaustive psychopathological assessment was carried out using the AMDP-system. Consecutive principal component analyses of AMDP symptoms, determining 'a priori' the number of factors to be extracted, were carried out. RESULTS: Following the track of the resulting factor analyses, a 'vertical hierarchical' framework was achieved. Our schema organized dimensions in a series of echelons in which lower tiers are subsumed as subsets of those assigned to higher ranks. In addition, a final model comprising 10 dimensions provided an 'horizontal' and multidimensional structure comprising all relevant psychopathological dimensions in first-episode psychosis. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed to a great extent the existence of a hierarchical organization within psychopathological dimensions in 'first-episode' psychosis. The present 'hierarchical and multidimensional' model of psychopathological dimensions allows for selection of the level of complexity of 'candidate phenotypes' to use in neurobiological research of psychosis.

Premorbid Negative Symptoms in First-Episode Psychosis

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Background and Objectives: Negative symptoms emerge in many patients with psychotic disorders long before the onset of the acute illness. These symptoms are often impossible to differentiate from certain Cluster A personality traits. Methods: The current study examines the extent to which premorbid negative symptoms are contributing factors to the development of primary and secondary negative symptomatology. Participants were 84 neuroleptic-naïve patients experiencing the occurrence of their first acute psychotic episode. Symptoms of psychopathology were assessed at two points: at admission and after remission of the acute episode. The Spanish version of the PANSS scale was administered. Premorbid personality assessment was considered as a proxy measure to evaluate each participant’s negative symptomatology prior to the onset of the illness. Potential causes of secondary negative symptomatology, such as depressionand extra pyramidal symptoms, were also examined. Results: ‘Non-respondent’ or ‘residual’ negative symptoms at discharge were significantly predicted by primary negative symptoms. To a lesser extent, disorganization and depressive symptoms at discharge and the Schizoid dimension of premorbid personality predicted residual negative symptoms. Conclusions: The severity of negative symptoms at the onset of the psychotic episode varied across patients. After controlling for ‘respondent’ and ‘non-respondent’ primary negative symptoms and other potential causes of negative symptoms, premorbid negative symptoms had a slight, but significant predictive relationship with residual negative symptoms (AU)