Dimensions and predictors of clinical and personal recovery in first-episode psychoses: Results from a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: First episode psychosis (FEP) services ensure higher recovery rates compared to usual care. The aim of this study was to investigate the different dimensions of recovery and its predictors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited within those admitted to the Ferrara FEP service since 2012 that at the time of analysis were still receiving psychiatric care. At admission, demographic, social and clinical information were collected. In September 2022, patients were assessed with the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale to evaluate clinical/functional recovery, the Recovery Assessment Scale to evaluate personal recovery, and the G12 item of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale to evaluate insight. Patients in recovery were compared to those not in recovery by bivariate analyses. Adjusted logistic regressions were performed to investigate predictors of recovery. RESULTS: Within 141 admitted, and 105 still receiving care, 54 patients completed the assessment. Most (51.9%) were in clinical/functional, 61.1% in personal recovery, and 38.8% both. Psychiatric hospitalization positively predicted clinical/functional recovery, whereas being prescribed oral antipsychotics was a negative predictor. Personal recovery was predicted by male sex and showed a negative association with overall severity of symptomatology. Those in personal recovery were more likely to have been prescribed long-acting antipsychotics, but this was not significant in the multivariable analysis. Poor insight negatively predicted clinical/functional recovery but had no impact on personal recovery. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that clinical/functional and personal recovery are semi-independent dimensions and not always overlap. Further research is needed to promote interventions targeted at all recovery dimensions.

Sex differences in schizophrenia-spectrum diagnoses: results from a 30-year health record registry.

This study investigated sociodemographic and clinical differences between the sexes in individuals affected by schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) who accessed outpatient mental health services. Within a retrospective cohort of 45,361 outpatients receiving care in Ferrara (Italy) from 1991 to 2021, those with a SSD diagnosis were compared between the sexes for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics before and after the index date (when the ICD-9: 295.*diagnosis was first recorded) to assess early trajectory, age and type of diagnosis, and severity of illness indicated by medication use, hospitalization, and duration of psychiatric care. Predictors of discharge were also investigated. Among 2439 patients, 1191 were women (48.8%). Compared to men, women were significantly older at first visit (43.7 vs. 36.8 years) and at index date (47.8 vs. 40.6) with peak frequency at age 48 (vs. 30). The most frequent last diagnosis recorded before the index date was delusional disorder (27.7%) or personality disorder (24.3%) in men and depression (24%) and delusional disorder (30.1%) in women. After the index date, long-acting antipsychotics and clozapine were more frequently prescribed to men (46.5% vs. 36.3%; 13.2% vs. 9.4%, p < 0.05) and mood stabilizers and antidepressants to women (24.3% vs. 21.1%; 50.1% vs. 35.5%; p < 0.05). Women had fewer involuntary admissions (10.1% vs. 13.6%) and were more likely to be discharged as the time under care increased (p = 0.009). After adjusting for covariates, sex was not a significant predictor of discharge. Our study confirmed that sex differences exist in clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of outpatients with SSD and that gender considerations might influence the rapidity of diagnosis and medications prescribed. These findings highlight the need to implement a women-tailored approach in specialist care programs for psychoses.

Establishment of a Public Mental Health Database for Research Purposes in the Ferrara Province: Development and Preliminary Evaluation Study.

Background: The immediate use of data exported from electronic health records (EHRs) for research is often limited by the necessity to transform data elements into an actual data set. Objective: This paper describes the methodology for establishing a data set that originated from an EHR registry that included clinical, health service, and sociodemographic information. Methods: The Extract, Transform, Load process was applied to raw data collected at the Integrated Department of Mental Health and Pathological Addictions in Ferrara, Italy, from 1925 to February 18, 2021, to build the new, anonymized Ferrara-Psychiatry (FEPSY) database. Information collected before the first EHR was implemented (ie, in 1991) was excluded. An unsupervised cluster analysis was performed to identify patient subgroups to support the proof of concept. Results: The FEPSY database included 3,861,432 records on 46,222 patients. Since 1991, each year, a median of 1404 (IQR 1117.5-1757.7) patients had newly accessed care, and a median of 7300 (IQR 6109.5-9397.5) patients were actively receiving care. Among 38,022 patients with a mental disorder, 2 clusters were identified; the first predominantly included male patients who were aged 25 to 34 years at first presentation and were living with their parents, and the second predominantly included female patients who were aged 35 to 44 years and were living with their own families. Conclusions: The process for building the FEPSY database proved to be robust and replicable with similar health care data, even when they were not originally conceived for research purposes. The FEPSY database will enable future in-depth analyses regarding the epidemiology and social determinants of mental disorders, access to mental health care, and resource utilization.

Mortality from cancer in people with severe mental disorders in Emilia Romagna Region, Italy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine cancer-related mortality in patients with severe mental disorders (SMI) in the Emilia Romagna (ER) Region, Northern Italy, during the period 2008-2017 and compare it with the regional population. METHODS: We used the ER Regional Mental Health Registry identifying all patients aged ≥18 years who had received an ICD-9CM system diagnosis of SMI (i.e., schizophrenia or other functional psychosis, mania, or bipolar affective disorders) during a 10-year period (2008-2017). Information on deaths (date and causes of death) were retrieved through the Regional Cause of Death Registry. Comparisons were made with the deaths and cause of deaths of the regional population over the same period. RESULTS: Amongst 12,385 patients suffering from SMI (64.1% schizophrenia spectrum and 36.9% bipolar spectrum disorders), 24% (range 21%-29%) died of cancer. In comparison with the general regional population, the mortality for cancer was about 50% higher among patients with SMI, irrespective if affected by schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. As for the site-specific cancers, significant excesses were reported for stomach, central nervous system, respiratory, and pancreas cancer with a variability according to psychiatric diagnosis and gender. CONCLUSIONS: Patients suffering from SMI had higher mortality risk than the regional population with some differences according to cancer type, gender, and psychiatric diagnosis. Proper cancer preventive and treatment interventions, including more effective risk modification strategies (e.g., smoking cessation, dietary habits) and screening for cancer, should be part of the agenda of all mental health departments in conjunction with other health care organizations, including psycho-oncology.

First-episode psychosis in the Ferrara Mental Health Department: Incidence and clinical course within the first 2 years.

AIM: To examine the incidence of with first-episode psychosis (FEP) in the Integrated Department of Mental Health and Pathological Addictions in Ferrara, Italy, and to examine the association between the Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP) and the clinical course. METHODS: Participants recruited in 2013-2019 were assessed with the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HoNOS) every 6 months for 24 months. Hierarchical growth models analysed changes of global severity (HoNOS total scores) and symptom dimensions. Regression modelled factors associated with remission (HoNOS < 8) and clinical improvement (<12). RESULTS: The incidence of FEP was 21.5 (95%CI: 21.2-21.9) cases per 100 000 person year. Among participants (n = 86, mean age 23, 76% males), baseline HoNOS scores were higher for those with a longer DUP. More than half subjects reached clinical remission (61.6%) or improvement (82.6%), while very few (2.3%) were re-hospitalized. HoNOS total scores decayed with a mixed linear/quadratic trend, with a slower decay among migrants. A longer DUP was associated with reduced improvements of positive symptoms and lower likelihood of clinical improvement (OR: 0.84; 95%CI: 0.73-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Patients from the FEP program of Ferrara reached good clinical outcomes. Nonetheless, individuals with a longer DUP may need additional clinical attention. Systematic monitoring of clinical outcomes may be an optimal strategy to improve the outcomes of FEP in the real world.