Abstract
BackgroundUltra‐high risk (UHR) people are a heterogeneous group with variable outcomes. This study aimed at (a) estimating trajectories of response to treatment to identify homogeneous subgroups; (b) establishing the impact on these trajectories of known predictors of outcome in UHR subjects.MethodsMixed models of growth curves and latent class growth analysis (LCGA) were applied to the 24‐item brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) to measure the response to treatment over 2 years in 125 UHR participants. Group differences were tested on sociodemographic variables and clinical indicators that are known to affect the outcome in UHR people.ResultsBPRS scores decreased across all tested models, with a greater decrease for affective and positive symptoms than for all other dimensions of BPRS. Past admissions to the hospital for psychiatric reasons other than psychosis and the presence of a decline in premorbid functioning before the episode were associated with a slower decrease of BPRS score. LCGA identified three classes, one (82% of participants) with a progressive decrease in the BPRS scores, a second class with a moderate improvement (10%), and a third with no improvement (8%). Those in the ‘no improvement’ class had a higher chance of receiving a diagnosis of psychosis within the spectrum of schizophrenia.ConclusionMost UHR individuals that are treated within a specialized service undergo substantial improvement in their psychopathology, but some seem resistant to the protocol of treatment and need close reevaluation within the first 12 months of treatment.
Highlights
| METHODSData were collected during the routine assessment of the patients participating in the Programma2000, an early intervention service of the Niguarda Hospital of Milan (Cocchi et al, 2008)
Ultra-high risk (UHR) people are a heterogeneous group with variable outcomes
Inclusion criteria for the UHR diagnosis were: help-seeking status for distress related to psychosis; aged 17 to 30 years old; to comply with the Personal Assessment and Crisis Evaluation (PACE) Clinic in Melbourne criteria for UHR (Yung et al, 2004; Yung & McGorry, 1996); to have had never received antipsychotic treatment before enrolment; to have had never received a past or present diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or unipolar disorder with psychotic features
Summary
Data were collected during the routine assessment of the patients participating in the Programma2000, an early intervention service of the Niguarda Hospital of Milan (Cocchi et al, 2008). The study complies with the 1995 Declaration of Helsinki and its revisions (World Medical Association, 2013). Written informed consent was acquired from each participant. The time interval of the study is from 1999 to 2015, when the Programma2000 was reorganized in both the procedures of assessment and the program of cure
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
