Clinical features and outcomes in acute psychosis: A retrospective hospital-based study in rural patients of central India.

Abstract

Acute and transient psychotic disorder (ATPD) is a distinct diagnostic category (F23) in ICD-10 which includes non-schizophrenic and non-affective psychoses following a transient course. The clinical features, diagnostic stability, and epidemiology of ATPD have not been adequately explored in the developing countries. The aim was to explore the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of ATPD as well as examine the diagnostic stability and longitudinal revisions in the diagnosis of ATPD. An observational retrospective study based on 10-year OPD records of ATPD patients was conducted in a tertiary health care center after ethics committee approval. A total of 120 patient records were analyzed for socio-demographic data, clinical symptoms, mental status examination findings, diagnosis on the first visit, and subsequent revisions in the diagnosis. The mean age of ATPD patients was 31.8 (±11.73) years. Delusion was the most common psychiatric symptom in ATPD patients followed by abnormal speech, hallucinations, and disorganized behavior. Antecedent psychosocial stressors were found in 44.2% cases. More than half of ATPD patients (51%) followed up after initial symptom remission and were diagnosed with chronic mental illnesses (schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder). The ATPD patients experiencing a stressor at the onset of illness were less likely to develop chronic mental illness compared to the ones who did not have antecedent stressors. Irrespective of the genetic and phenomenological distinctiveness of ATPD, which has led to its inclusion as a separate diagnostic category in ICD-10, ATPD is an unstable diagnosis.