EPA-1205 – Remission and recovery in schizophrenia: associated socio-demographic and clinical features

Abstract

Recovery is an important concept in schizophrenia that has not been well defined or researched. It is crucial to determine its predictors. To determine sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with remission and recovery in a population of patients with schizophrenia. The design was an observational, cross-sectional and analytic study. We recruited all of the outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (according to DSM IV-TR) who consulted psychiatry ward F from the 1/2//2013 to the 31/3/2013. Clinical and sociodemographic data for patients were gathered using an ad-hoc structured questionnaire. Clinical remission was defined according to criteria from the Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group (RSWG). Recovery was defined according to the following criteria from a Meta-Analysis by Jääskeläinen et al. (2013): a clinical remission (RSWG criteria) with a social remission (Global Assessment of Functioning score >=61) and no hospitalisation in the last two years. Our sample comprised 44 patient (65.9% were females and 34.1% were males). Remission was achieved in 36.4% of the cases and was correlated with paranoid schizophrenia (p=0.024) and schizoaffective disorder (0.02) diagnoses. Recovery was achieved in 15.9% of the cases and had higher rates in females (p=0.4). Better remission rates in paranoid schizophrebia and schizoaffective disorder is a finding which is broadly consistent with numerous previous studies. In opposite, the fact that female patients are more likely to achieve recovery remains controversial.