Effects of Psychosocial Day Care Programme on Quality of Life in Patients Affected with Schizophrenia - a Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: The basic aim of this prospective research was to establish the effect of psychosocial day care programme on the therapy outcomes in patients with schizophrenia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: While 115 patients with schizophrenia were invited to participate, 100 of them completed the study and were subdivided into two groups. In addition to pharmacotherapy, the experimental group only (N=50) was integrated into a day-hospital-based psychosocial day care programme. The instruments were applied in three phases: the first measurement for experimental group subjects took place on the first day of psychosocial day-care programme, while for the control group subjects the same was performed on the last day of inpatient care. The second measurement for the experimental group was performed in the end of psychosocial day-care programme, while for the control group patients it occurred four months after inpatient treatment. The third measurement was carried out six months after the second one. The following instruments were applied: General Demographic Questionnaire at the first measurement, Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life-MANSA both at the first and third measurement, and Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale-PANSS at all three measurements. RESULTS: Experimental group patients showed a statistically significant increase in quality of life outcomes as well as statistically significant decrease in positive symptoms and general psychopathology at all three measurements and with regard to the control group. As to the negative symptoms, only the third measurement revealed a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: The results obtained indicate that the adjuvant treatment of psychosocial day care programme has a positive effect on treatment outcomes: on the increase of the patients' quality of life, and, to some extent, on the decrease of symptom intensity in positive symptoms in schizophrenia spectrum. However, the effect of psychosocial day-care programme on the negative symptoms was proved to be considerably smaller.

The relationship between personality traits and anxiety/depression levels in different drug abusers' groups.

Aim. Since psychosocial characteristics of drug abuse involve mainly specific personality and emotional changes, it is very important to investigate characteristics of addictive personality in relationship with emotional state of the individual. Considering that, the objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between personality structure and emotional state of two different groups: heroin addicts and recreate drug abusers. Methods. The total of 288 (219 males and 69 females; 191 heroin addicts and 97 recreate drug users) clients of Centre for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse in Rijeka completed Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire (EPQ R/A), Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI). Their average age was 22. Results. In the group of heroin addicts, higher levels of anxiety and depression were significantly correlated with higher levels of psychoticism, neuroticism, criminality and addiction. In the group of recreate drug users, higher extraversion and social conformity were determined. Furthermore, in the first group was found even higher depression. However when the anxiety level was compared between these two groups, there was no significant difference. Conclusion. Overall, the findings implied that the used measurement instruments could serve as the useful diagnostic tools that could ensure advantageous treatment directions.

Relations between the course of illness, family history of schizophrenia and family functioning in persons with schizophrenia.

The aims of this study were to identify the aspects of family functioning which are associated with the course and remission of schizophrenia and to explore relations between aspects of family functioning and family history of schizophrenia. The subjects were 90 patients, treated at the Clinical hospital centre in Rijeka, Croatia, with diagnosed schizophrenia (F20.0 to F20.5) and without psychiatric comorbidity. The patients were organized into three groups depending on the treatment status during the calendar year that preceded the year in which the survey took place: patients with schizophrenia who received an outpatient care and were maintaining favourable remission, patients who were hospitalized once to twice and patients who were hospitalized at least three times in the precedent calendar year. The treatment status was used as an indicator of the course of the illness. A Family Functioning Scale was applied and the data on the absence/presence of schizophrenia in the family history were collected through the examination of previous medical records. The lowest prevalence of familial schizophrenia was found among the patients who were maintaining favourable remission. Among the three groups statistically significant differences were found regarding the following family functioning variables: expressiveness, family sociability, democratic family style. Also there were observed statistically significant differences in the family functioning depending on the presence/absence of the schizophrenia in the family history that included following domains: family cohesion, external locus of control and democratic family style. Our study gives support to the conclusion that family functioning of persons with schizophrenia differs depending on the course of the illness and presence/absence of schizophrenia in the family history.

Proposal for a new detection method of substance abuse risk in Croatian adolescents.

One of the most important factors of successful substance abuse treatment is the early start of the same treatment. Recent selection method for identification of Croatian adolescents in the substance abuse risk that has been using drug tests from urine samples, has been simple and exact on the one hand, but on the other, has been very rare and usually guided by the pressure of parents or the court. Besides, such method presented the source of legal and ethical questions. So, the proposal of application of standardized psychological tests during systematic medical exams of Croatian adolescents at the age range of 15-22 years could help with the early detection of those adolescents who were in the substance abuse risk or already had the developed addiction problem.

Aggresiveness in institutionalised schizophrenic patients and the selection of antipsychotics.

The selection of antipsychotics as medications used primarily for treating schizophrenia and disorders similar to schizophrenia is an important aspect of the treatment of forensicpatients. This study examines the effect of antipsychotics selection (typical or atipycal) on the level of aggressiveness, side effects and the hospitalisation length. The research is conducted on 98 psychiatric patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or similar disorders (F 20-F 29) in two forensic psychiatric institutions. The patients committed aggressive criminal offence in state of insanity. The patients are currently treated in inpatient psychiatric institutions. The research was conducted by using the Aggressiveness Questionnaire (AG-87), the Simpson-Angus Scale for the assessment of extrapyramidal side effects, the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale for the assesment of akathisia and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. The results show no significant difference between the groups of patients treated with typical and atypical antipsychotics in all the variables.

Switching among antipsychotics--focus on side effects.

Depression is a disorder held responsible for high morbidity in the overall population. Causes of depression vary, but lifestyle and stress can greatly contribute to its morbidity. Consumption of antidepressants is showing a trend in the economically developed countries. Apart from antidepressants, the treatment of depression can consist of other psychopharmaca. Depending on the severity of a disorder, that is - of psychotic symptoms, antipsychotics can be introduced in the treatment. Among those atypical antipsychotics have an advantage. This paper will illustrate a course of treatment of a female patient, diagnosed with psychotic depression and treated with antipsychotics (i.e. olanzapine, ziprasidone), to which she developed side effects. To each of the antypsychotics the patient developed side effechts, causing in prolonged treatment and affected its course.

Hyperprolactinaemia with amisulpride.

Psychopharmaca are used in treatment of psychiatric illnesses and disorders, among other therapeutic possibilities. The choice of the psychopharmaca is determined by the specific psychopathology of the patient, within the diagnostic categories, according to the current classification of diseases and disorders. With the advances in pharmaco industry, the range of drugs used in the everyday clinical practice is occurring at a very rapid pace. Antipsychotic medications are used in treatment of mainly psychotic disorders. However, the new generation of antipsychotics, due to their specific receptor affinities, is sometimes used in treatment of affective disorders as well. We are reporting a case of a female patient who was hospitalized several times. Amisulpride was introduced in the treatment and due to a series of unfortunate events and changes that followed (i. e. frequent hospitalizations and changes of therapists, different mental institutions) dose of amisulpride was gradually increased to its antipsychotic doses, which did not help achieve therapeutic benefits, but serious side effects.

Treatment strategy in schizophrenia combined with eating disorder.

Like any other patient, a schizophrenic patient can get a physical illness, too. As such patients tend to ignore reality and neglect themselves and are stigmatized by society, due to which their physical symptomatology is often ignored, physical illness can remain undetected. If the schizophrenic patient is observed and adequate care is provided by the family, family doctor and a psychiatrist, it is possible to recognize the physical illness and intervene promptly. We are presenting a case of a female patient who has been treated for schizophrenia for a number of years. The treatment was mostly ambulatory (i.e. the patient was hospitalized twice) and consisted of first-generation antipsychotics. During the past two years, for reasons unknown, the patient stopped taking regular meals and as a result lost significant body weight, became apathetic and withdrawn, started avoiding social contacts and neglected personal hygiene. She reportedly took the psychopharmaca regularly, but rarely attended psychiatric follow-up consultations. Due to substantial weight loss and hypotonia, correction of antipsychotic was made and internist treatment administered. The choice of olanzapine was not an accidental one. We decided to take advantage of its side effect for the treatment of an anorectic syndrome. Interdisciplinary cooperation proved to be a justified decision.

Antipsychotic treatment--side-effect and/or metabolic syndrome.

According to current medical opinion chronic mental diseases such as schizophrenia require life-long treatment. The choice of antipsychotics is an important treatment factor, since their side-effects often influence patients' compliance with treatment. Severe side-effects may cause the patients to reject such treatment, the latter being their right. In case a psychiatrist does not agree with the patient's decision to interrupt his antipsychotic treatment regardless its serious side-effects, the former should be persistent in convincing the patient to replace such drug with a more appropriate therapy.

Weight gain induced with olanzapine in adolescent.

Children and adolescents are being treated with antipsychotics more often than before, although the risk of adverse events in this age group still remains unclear. Because of increased use of antipsychotics in children and adolescents, their endocrine and metabolic side-effects (weight gain, obesity, and related metabolic deviations) are of particular worrying, especially within pediatric and adolescent population that appears to be at greater risk comparing with adults for antipsychotic-induced metabolic adverse events. In this work we will present the course of treatment of an adolescent girl with psychotic symptoms, within the clinical diagnosis of Organic delusional disorder, who had a considerable weight gain after one year of olanzapine treatment.

Weight gain--as possible predictor of metabolic syndrome.

Rapid weight gain among patients with mental disorders can further compound psychological distress and negatively influence compliance. Weight gain associated with treatment with atypical antipsychotic medication has been widely recognized as a risk factor for the development of diabetes type II and cardiovascular diseases. This paper describes a 33-year old female patient treated for schizoaffective disorder. Within two months after introducing quetiapine the patient experienced considerable weight gain amounting to 19 kg. The replacement of antipsychotic during inpatient psychiatric care resulted in weight loss.

Lamotrigine treatment of a patient affected by epilepsy and anxiety disorder.

Epilepsy often occurs in comorbidity with mental diseases and disorders. Early detection and/or treatment of such disorders in patients affected by epilepsy, as well as their socialisation are crucially important since epileptic patients tend to suffer more due to lack of social support than to frequent epileptic seizures. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders is higher in patients with epilepsy than in general population, the most frequent being: anxiety, depression, panic attacks, behavioural disorders as well as psychotic states with paranoid elements. The efficacy of AE treatment of patients affected by epilepsy and mood disorders has also directed clinicians to investigate possible AE benefits in treating other mental disorders such as anxiety states, depression and bipolar disorder. The examined case displays complex partial epilepsy and comorbid mental disorder. The use of lamotrigine, a fourth-generation antiepileptic, which is also a mood stabilizer, has assured a favourable remission of symptoms related to both epilepsy and mood disorders. Side-effects caused by lamotrigine were only temporary and dose reduction was sufficient to eliminate their symptoms.

Duloxetine-related panic attacks.

Side-effects arising on the grounds of antidepressant administration pose as a substantial obstacle hindering successful depressive disorder treatment. Side-effects, especially those severe or those manifested through dramatic clinical presentations such as panic attacks, make the treatment far more difficult and shake patients' trust in both the treatment and the treating physician. This case report deals with a patient experiencing a moderately severe depressive episode, who responded to duloxetine treatment administered in the initial dose of 30 mg per day with as many as three panic attacks in two days. Upon duloxetine withdrawal, these panic attacks ceased as well. The patient continued tianeptine and alprazolam treatment during which no significant side-effects had been seen, so that she gradually recovered. Some of the available literature sources have suggested the possibility of duloxetine administration to the end of generalised anxiety disorder and panic attack treatment. However, they are outnumbered by the contributions reporting about duloxetine-related anxiety, aggressiveness and panic attacks. In line with the foregoing, further monitoring of each and every duloxetine-administered patient group needs to be pursued so as to be able to evaluate treatment benefits and weigh them against risks of anxiety or panic attack onset.

Venlafaxine withdrawal syndrome.

Dual-action antidepressants serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SRNIs) are widely used to treat depression. Owing to its efficiency and safety, venlafaxine holds a prominent place in this group of depressants. Abrupt venlafaxine discontinuation involves a high risk of withdrawal syndrome. Mechanism of its development is similar to that of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), but of higher intensity. Venlafaxine withdrawal symptoms may include several somatic symptoms as well as several psychiatric symptoms. In some cases, symptoms may look like a stroke. A treatment option is re-inclusion of venlafaxine or a SSRI antidepressant. The paper presents the case of a 70-year-old patient who discontinued of her own accord to take venlafaxine, which she had been taking regularly at a daily dose of 225 mg for more than a year. A few hours after taking the last dose, withdrawal syndrome occurred with severe symptoms resembling a stroke. The patient was examined by a neurologist and the CT and laboratory parameters showed no irregularities. Diagnosis was made after psychiatric observation. Venlafaxine, 150 mg per day, was prescribed, the symptoms disappeared relatively quickly, and the patient fully recovered. Withdrawal syndrome is a real risk for each venlafaxine treated patient. The possibility of its occurrence should be always kept in mind and patients should be timely informed about it. In this way, the risk of venlafaxine withdraw syndrome could be reduced, unnecessary stress to patients prevented and the costs of medical treatment lowered.

Allergic reactions--outcome of sertraline and escitalopram treatments.

The treatment of dysthymia in itself poses a problem in the everyday psychiatric practice and it can be further hindered when accompanied by pronounced personality traits (which are indicative of disorder). Due to its pathology and duration dysthymia interferes with the patient's quality of life and the ability to function in some segments of everyday life. These interferences enticed our patient to opt for psychiatric treatment. During a three-year period, despite all the efforts made by psychiatrists in this comprehensive and challenging dysthymia treatment (psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, psychopharmacotherapy), the expected outcomes of the treatment did not occur. The patient's goals and expectations included lifestyle change, achieving life satisfaction and mood improvement. The patient was refusing suggested psychopharmaca until confronted, in psychotherapy, with the fact that she is the one prolonging her own helplessness and directing her passive agression at the members of the group. In the end the patent agreed to take psychopharmaca. Therefore, sertraline was introduced in the treatment, but the patient experienced a severe allergic reaction (Qiuncke's oedema). After four months the second attempt was made and escitaloptam was introduced, which resulted in urticaria. Due to these allergic reactions to antidepressants, the patient decided not to pursue the psychopharmacological treatment.

The impact of psoriasis on the quality of life and psychological characteristics of persons suffering from psoriasis.

Psoriasis, as same as other skin diseases, has an influence on many spheres of patient's life. It influences the mental image the patients have of themselves and it indirectly shapes their personality traits as well as it defines the quality of their lives. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of psoriasis on the quality of life and gender differences in the quality of life and explore presence of neurotic symptoms among persons suffering from psoriasis in comparison to general population. During the treatment of persons suffering from psoriasis at the special hospital Naftalan in Ivanic Grad personality questionnaire and Quality of life scale were administered to 61 participants (m = 25; f = 36). Our results showed few gender differences in the satisfaction with specific life domains, but only differences in the satisfaction with sexual life could be related to the different effects psoriasis has on the quality of life of men and women. Our participants experience more anxiety and depression symptoms as well phobic fears in comparison to general population. Found genders differences in the presence and intensity of anxiety symptoms closely resemble those documented in the general population therefore aren't typical for people suffering from psoriasis.

Epilepsy in the elderly and depression.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological problems affecting approximately 1% of the world's population with higher incidence among elderly individuals. Although depression is a common comorbid condition in patients with epilepsy, there is a paucity of information regarding depression in geriatric patients with epilepsy. This study analysed a group of 83 patients affected by different epilepsy phenotypes accompanied by mental disorders, especially depression. Antiepileptic and antipsychotic drug treatment has been evaluated, particularly a positive effect of the new antiepileptics (monotherapy and polytherapy) both on the reduction of seizures and mental disorders.