ABSTRACT
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.
ABSTRACT
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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 participants 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)