Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale Scores Research Articles

Association between intensive community mental health recovery service initiation and psychiatric symptoms among veterans.

The Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery (ICMHR) services have been established by the Veterans Health Administration to provide veterans with high-quality mental health care. This study, for the first time, evaluates the association between ICMHR service initiation and change in psychiatric symptoms among veterans, to assess the effectiveness of these services. This retrospective observational study includes veterans who enrolled in ICMHR services during October 2018-September 2021, and had a Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) assessment at the time of ICMHR service enrollment (baseline), and at sixth and/or 12th month after enrollment. Multivariable random-effects linear regression was used to examine the change in BPRS scores over time during the first year after ICMHR service enrollment. Changes in the five clinically relevant BPRS domains were also examined. The study found a statistically significant decrease in BPRS scores during the sixth (adjusted change = -1.6; 95% CI [-2.2, -1.0]) and 12th month (adjusted change = -2.4; 95% CI [-3.0, -1.7]) follow-up after ICMHR service enrollment, as compared with the baseline score. The study also found that ICMHR service initiation was associated with considerable improvement in BPRS domains representing affect, activation, and negative and positive symptoms, but was not associated with changes to the domain representing resistance. These results suggest that ICMHR services were potentially effective in improving psychiatric symptoms, as measured by the BPRS scores, in veterans enrolled in these services. The services were not associated with improvement in all psychiatric symptoms, potentially indicating that additional services might be needed to manage symptoms that do not improve. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

The impact of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on cognitive function and quality of life in individuals with schizophrenia

Objective. This study investigates the impact of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on cognitive function and quality of life (QoL) in individuals with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia, often resistant to conventional treatments, may benefit from alternative approaches such as ECT. While ECT is effective in managing psychiatric symptoms, its effects on cognitive functioning and QoL remain debated. Methods. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 66 patients with schizophrenia who underwent ECT between January and June 2024. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), psychiatric symptoms were evaluated with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and QoL was measured using the EuroQol-5-Dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire. These measures were taken before and after six sessions of ECT. Results. The results indicated significant improvements in psychiatric symptoms, with BPRS scores decreasing from 51.73 to 36.41 (p < 0.001). QoL also improved, with statistically significant gains in EQ-5D utility and subdomain scores (p < 0.001). Cognitive outcomes were more varied: 42.4% of patients showed cognitive improvement, while 25.8% experienced deterioration. Improvements in BPRS scores were positively correlated with better QoL, particularly in the pain and anxiety subdomains. Cognitive improvement, as indicated by MoCA scores, was linked to better QoL in the “usual activities” subdomain (p = 0.008). Conclusion. ECT shows promise in improving psychiatric symptoms and QoL in schizophrenia patients, but cognitive effects remain inconsistent. Further research is needed to optimize cognitive outcomes and assess the long-term impact of ECT in this population.

Presence of Psychotic Spectrum Symptoms Before Age 12 in Schizophrenia Patients: A Retrospective Study on Clinical Implications for Early Detection and Intervention.

Background/Objectives: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder, with onset typically occurring in late adolescence or early adulthood. Early identification of psychotic symptoms, especially those occurring before age 12, has been linked to better long-term outcomes. This study aims to assess the presence of psychotic spectrum symptoms before the age of 12 in adult schizophrenia patients and explore their clinical implications for early detection and intervention. Methods: This retrospective, observational study included 170 adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, confirmed by the SCID-5. Patients were recruited from the University of Siena Medical Center and completed the modified lifetime version of the Psychotic Spectrum Self-Report (PSY-SR) questionnaire, which assessed the onset of specific psychotic symptoms before and after age 12. Symptom severity was evaluated using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI). This study also examined the impact of the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) on symptom severity. Results: In our cohort, 21% of patients exhibited prodromal symptoms before age 12 (95% CI: 15-27%). Prodromal symptoms were linked to a 9.53-point increase in the BPRS scores (p = 0.0478) and a 0.50-point increase in the CGI scores (p = 0.0347). The age of symptom onset negatively correlated with the BPRS scores (p < 0.0001), with each year of delay resulting in a 1.33-point decrease. The DUP correlated significantly with both the BPRS (ρ = 0.97) and CGI scores (ρ = 0.94). The multivariate analysis revealed that a longer DUP was associated with significant increases in both scores: a 27.16-point increase in the BPRS (p < 0.0001) for a moderate DUP and a 67.51-point increase (p < 0.0001) for a severe DUP. The CGI scores increased by 1.11 points with a moderate DUP and 3.17 points with a severe DUP (p < 0.0001). However, the interaction between the DUP and prodromal symptoms at age 12 was not significant, indicating similar impacts of the DUP regardless of early symptom onset. Conclusions: The results support the critical importance of early detection and intervention in schizophrenia. Early psychotic spectrum symptoms, particularly those occurring before age 12, are significant predictors of later severity and functional impairment. This study underscores the value of screening tools like the PSY-SR for identifying prodromal symptoms and facilitating timely intervention. Our findings highlight the need for the early identification of psychotic symptoms, particularly in at-risk populations, to improve long-term outcomes. Intervening before the onset of full-blown psychosis may reduce the severity of schizophrenia and promote better clinical outcomes.

37 THE POTENTIAL OF SPORTS INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS

Abstract Background Sports intervention has become an important means of improving symptoms of schizophrenia, with simple and easy to promote methods that are easily accepted by more patients. In recent studies, sports interventions often utilize environmental factors to stimulate the functioning of the brain’s nerves through physical exercise, gradually restoring life skills and social abilities. The study adopts a combination of physical education and medicine to intervene in symptoms of schizophrenia, which not only improves the physical and mental quality, but also enhances the social function and quality of life of patients, providing more possibilities for the development of sports treatment programs. Methods A study selected 120 patients with schizophrenia from a psychiatric hospital and randomly divided them into an experimental group (60 patients) and a control group (60 patients). On the basis of routine nursing interventions, the experimental group used appropriate physical exercise methods, 3 times a week, for 30 minutes to 1 hour each time. For elderly and physically weak patients, high-intensity or high-frequency exercise should not be used. At the same time, the control group did not receive physical exercise. After 3 months of treatment intervention, two groups were evaluated and analyzed. The clinical symptoms of the two groups before and after intervention were evaluated using the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Inpatient Psychiatric Rehabilitation Outcome Scale (IPROS), and Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS). Finally, the scores of the two groups before and after treatment were compared, and statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 25.0 software to demonstrate the improvement effect of sports intervention on patients with schizophrenia. Results In the SANS score of attention disorders, the scores of the experimental group before and after treatment were 6.78 ± 1.64 points and 4.31 ± 1.51 points, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P&amp;lt;0.001). In the BPRS score, the control group had scores of 58.32 ± 5.24 and 36.41 ± 5.11 before and after treatment, respectively, while the experimental group had scores of 59.42 ± 5.29 and 32.47 ± 5.12 before and after treatment. Clinical symptoms significantly decreased, and the difference was statistically significant (P&amp;lt;0.001). Finally, in the SQLS score, the psychological and social disorders of the experimental group decreased to 25.43 ± 5.21 points under the treatment of sports intervention, and their motivation and energy also significantly decreased to 17.25 ± 4.72 points. The comprehensive results indicate that sports assisted intervention has a good effect on the physical fitness and psychological state of patients with schizophrenia. Discussion During long-term medication and nursing treatment, patients may experience a decline in their motor and self-care abilities, reduced physical function, and in severe cases, physical disorders such as language confusion and behavioral abnormalities. Therefore, the sports intervention method used in this study can not only improve patients’ motor function and physical fitness, but also promote brain nerve activity, reduce clinical symptoms, relieve emotional stress, and thus improve patients’ thinking, behavior, willpower, and emotional functions.

101 MENTAL HEALTH OF COLLEGE STUDENTS MAJORING IN MARKETING

Abstract Background In recent years, mental health issues have become a major public health concern worldwide, especially among college students. Schizophrenia is a serious mental health disorder that affects the lives and studies of many young people. Although most students do not develop the disease, stressful environments and academic burdens can be potential risk factors. Marketing students tend to experience greater academic and social stress, which may be related to early symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations and delusions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mental health status of college students majoring in marketing, especially the related symptoms of schizophrenia, and to explore its relationship with academic pressure, social support and other variables, in order to provide theoretical support and practical suggestions for mental health intervention in colleges and universities. Methods The study selected the undergraduate students majoring in marketing in a university for investigation and analysis, and recruited 300 people. The research objects were analyzed into three groups, group A was the marketing professional group, A total of 100 people; Group B is a marketing major, and takes drug control, a total of 100 people; Group C is the other professional group. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was used to assess the mental health status of the participants, while the symptoms related to schizophrenia were paid attention to. The students’ Stress was assessed by the Academic Stress Scale (ASS), and the additional group B was given conventional psychotropic drugs for treatment control. At the end of the intervention, the participants completed the same assessments again to assess changes in social functioning. In order to ensure the reliability of the data, the required evaluation tools were mixed during the study, and the statistical data were rigorously analyzed. SPSS software was used for data processing, and T-test and ANOVA were used to compare the differences between the two groups. Results The results show that the mental health status of marketing students is generally poor, especially in the score of BPRS, the average score of group A is 28.7 points, significantly higher than group B’s 23.5 points and group C’s 20.4 points. In addition, group A showed higher scores on symptoms associated with schizophrenia, with hallucinations and delusions at 4.3 and 3.8, respectively; Group B had scores of 2.8 and 2.5 on symptoms related to schizophrenia. The scores on symptoms related to schizophrenia in group C were 2.1 and 1.9. Discussion Studies have shown that marketing majors have significantly lower mental health outcomes than students in other disciplines, and are particularly at greater risk for symptoms related to schizophrenia. This shows that marketing students under the dual influence of academic pressure and insufficient social support, mental health problems need to be paid attention to. The findings of this study are of great practical significance. Colleges and universities should consider to strengthen mental health education and provide more perfect psychological support services for students majoring in marketing.

23 THE IMPROVEMENT EFFECT OF PALIPERIDONE ON ENGLISH VOCABULARY MEMORY ABILITY OF COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder often accompanied by symptoms such as cognitive impairment and memory decline. For college students, schizophrenia not only affects their academic performance, but may also lead to interpersonal tension and self-identity crisis. College students need good memory and cognitive functions to complete academic requirements, including English vocabulary memorization. Recent studies have shown that paliperidone not only effectively improves symptoms in patients with acute schizophrenia, but may also improve their cognitive function, including memory function. Therefore, the study mainly explored the therapeutic effect of paliperidone on improving the English vocabulary memory ability of college students with schizophrenia. Methods The study included 60 cases of schizophrenia patients aged 18-60 from the psychiatric outpatient and inpatient departments of a certain city’s psychiatric hospital. The study used a randomized controlled experimental design to randomly divide patients into an experimental group and a control group, with 30 people in each group. The experimental group first took Paliperidone sustained-release tablets orally, and after the patient’s tolerance stabilized, they switched to using Paliperidone oral preparations for injection intervention. The control group was intervened with oral antipsychotic drugs. The intervention treatment period is 12 months, with the experimental group receiving injections once a month, with a single dose ranging from 75-150mg, while the control group takes medication once every 1-2 weeks. Before and after intervention, the study used the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and Vocabulary Size Test (VST) as evaluation tools to assess English vocabulary mastery. Results Before and after the intervention in December, there were significant results in the PANSS, BPRS, and VST scale scores of patients in the experimental and control groups. From the comparison of results, the experimental group that first took oral Paliperidone sustained-release tablets and then injected Paliperidone oral formulation showed significant improvement in scale scores, and the improvement effect was significantly better than that of the control group. Among them, the PANSS score of the experimental group before intervention was as high as 5.64 ± 1.21, and the score after intervention decreased to 1.07 ± 0.21, with a statistical difference between the two (P&amp;lt;0.05). At the same time, the BRPS score of the experimental group showed a significant downward trend before and after intervention, with statistical differences (P&amp;lt;0.05), and the VST scale score also had statistical significance (P&amp;lt;0.05). In addition, in the inter group comparison, the experimental group had significantly lower scores on various scales after intervention compared to the control group. Discussion The research results indicate that the treatment method of first taking Paliperidone sustained-release tablets orally and then injecting Paliperidone oral preparations has a significant improvement effect on the English vocabulary memory ability of college students. Long term use of paliperidone can reduce the recurrence rate of schizophrenia and improve patients’ memory ability, which is of great significance for preventing the recurrence of the disease and maintaining the long-term health status of patients.

45 CLINICAL EFFECT OF NARRATIVE NURSING COMBINED WITH RISPERIDONE ON SENILE SCHIZOPHRENIA

Abstract Background Schizophrenia, a serious mental disorder, is increasing in prevalence in the elderly population every year. Although risperidone has shown some efficacy in the treatment of schizophrenia, single-pharmacological treatment has limited effect in improving patients’ emotional and cognitive symptoms. Narrative care, as a psychological intervention, promotes patients’ emotional expression and cognitive adjustment by listening to their life experiences and emotional distress. The study aims to investigate the comprehensive treatment effect of narrative nursing combined with risperidone on elderly patients with schizophrenia. Methods The subjects of the study were 80 elderly patients with schizophrenia who were hospitalized in a mental health center between January 2023 and January 2024, all of whom met the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10). The study used a randomized grouping method to divide the patients into an experimental group and a control group of 40 each. The control group received conventional risperidone treatment, and the experimental group received an 8-week narrative nursing intervention based on conventional medication. The nursing care included helping patients to sort out important life experiences, explore emotional distress, and improve cognitive styles, as well as combining emotional support and psychological guidance to encourage patients to express their inner experiences. Before and after the intervention, cognitive function was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), psychotic symptoms were assessed using Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and social functioning scale (SFS) was used. Functioning Scale (SFS) to measure social adjustment. Results At the end of the intervention, the MMSE scores of the patients in the experimental group significantly improved from 18.2±4.1 before treatment to 24.5±3.7, and the MMSE scores of the control group were 22.1±3.4 after treatment, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P&amp;lt;0.05).The results of the BPRS scores showed that the experimental group’s symptomatic improvement was significantly better than that of the control group (P&amp;lt;0.05), which indicating that the narrative nursing intervention effectively alleviated the patients’ clinical symptoms. In terms of social function, the SFS scores of the experimental group improved significantly, and the difference was also statistically significant compared with the control group (P&amp;lt;0.05). The results show that the treatment model of narrative nursing combined with risperidone has significant advantages in improving cognitive function, emotional symptoms and social adaptability of elderly schizophrenic patients. Discussion Narrative care promotes functional recovery at the cognitive level by encouraging patients to recall and express their personal experiences. Experimental data from the study suggest that narrative care not only effectively compensates for the limitations of single-pharmacological treatment, but also enhances patients’ social functioning and quality of life. The successful application of this intervention model highlights the importance of integrated treatment in the management of geriatric schizophrenia. However, the observation period of the study was short, and future studies need to further extend the follow-up period to explore the long-term effects of narrative care and its applicability to other subgroups of patients.

Neurosyphilis Diagnosis and Treatment in Psychiatric Hospitals: A Retrospective Study.

Neurosyphilis, caused by Treponema pallidum invading the nervous system, can lead to severe neurological complications across all stages of syphilis. Misdiagnosis is common, exacerbated by overlapping psychiatric conditions and diagnostic limitations. This study aims to improve the understanding and management of neurosyphilis in psychiatric settings to enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy. A retrospective study used data from the Chinese Case Report System (CCRS) spanning 2014-2018. Four municipal psychiatric hospitals in Guangdong were chosen based on syphilis rates and psychiatric patient volumes. Sociodemographic data, syphilis history, symptoms, diagnostic and treatment details, and laboratory results were reviewed. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) assessed psychopathology symptoms. Treatment efficacy was evaluated using BPRS scores before and after standard treatment. Diagnoses followed national guidelines, with statistical analyses performed using logistic regression and t-tests. Out of 69,436 psychosis patients screened, 1588 were diagnosed with syphilis, with 262 (16.5%) of these cases identified as neurosyphilis. Syphilis prevalence mildly declined from 2.8% (2014) to 2.0% (2016), while neurosyphilis cases increased marginally from 0.34% (2014) to 0.39% (2018). Confirmatory Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) tests were conducted in only 30.2% of neurosyphilis cases. Standard therapy was administered to 66.8% of patients, with significantly better outcomes in confirmed cases (p < 0.001). Diagnosing and treating neurosyphilis in Guangdong's psychiatric hospitals remains challenging. Accurate diagnosis and standardized treatment protocols are essential to effectively manage both syphilis and associated mental health complications caused by neurosyphilis.

Impact of electroconvulsive therapy on inflammatory markers in patients with severe mental disorders.

Impact of electroconvulsive therapy on inflammatory markers in patients with severe mental disorders.

Differential Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Patients with Schizophrenia Versus Depressive Disorder: Clinical Distinction Between Antipsychotic and Antidepressant Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is utilized for treating psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia (SCZ), major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder (BD). We aimed to compare pre- and post-ECT treatment outcomes between patients with SCZ and a combined group of patients with MDD and BD (MDD+BD) to assess the distinction between the antipsychotic and antidepressant effects of ECT. ECT was administered to patients with SCZ (n = 17) and those with MDD+BD (n = 7). Symptoms were evaluated using the brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS), clinical global impression scale (CGI), and global assessment of functioning (GAF). Plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were also measured. The BPRS, CGI, and GAF scores significantly differed after ECT compared with those before ECT in each patient group. However, no significant differences were observed between the groups for each disorder. No significant differences were observed in plasma BDNF levels between the groups at baseline and during ECT. At baseline, only depression scores were more favorable in the SCZ group, whereas positive symptoms and disorganization scores were higher in the MDD+BD group. During treatment, positive symptoms, activation, and disorganization items were significantly more favorable in the MDD+BD group compared with the SCZ group. Total BPRS scores were not associated with plasma BDNF levels; however, rating scores of the several items related to activation, resistance, and disorganization were positively correlated with BDNF levels. ECT effects on several clinical outcomes in the MDD+BD group were associated with plasma BDNF levels. These findings suggest that ECT may be more effective for treating MDD than SCZ.

Efficacy and safety evaluation of olanzapine treatment for schizophrenia patients: A retrospective data analysis.

Efficacy and safety evaluation of olanzapine treatment for schizophrenia patients: A retrospective data analysis.

Nomogram model for predicting medication adherence in patients with various mental disorders based on the Dryad database

ObjectiveTreatment compliance among psychiatric patients is related to disease outcomes. How to assess patient compliance remains a concern. Here, we established a predictive model for medication compliance in patients with...

Acculturation stress and mental health outcomes in a sample of migrant inpatients: Findings from a naturalistic study.

Migrants face numerous risk factors for mental disorders, including stressors and traumatic events during the pre-, peri-, and post-migratory phases. Acculturation stress, a significant post-migratory stressor, can adversely affect mental health during the cultural adaptation process. This study aims to assess the clinical implications of acculturation stress in migrants admitted to a psychiatric intensive care unit, with a focus on identifying predictors of acculturative stress and their impact on clinical outcomes. We conducted a retrospective study of 268 immigrant patients hospitalized between 2004 and 2019 at the psychiatric inpatient unit of the University of Foggia. We collected socio-demographic and clinical data using ad hoc schedules and validated assessment instruments, including the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI). Diagnoses were based on DSM-IV-TR/DSM-5 criteria. We analyzed associations between demographic and clinical characteristics of patients reporting acculturative stress and those not reporting it, using appropriate statistical methods. The majority of patients were diagnosed with affective (45.1%) or psychotic disorders (31.7%), with 57.1% experiencing their first psychiatric episode. Acculturation stress was reported by 51.9% of patients (N = 139), predominantly among males (71.9%), single individuals (80.9%), and those of Islamic faith (56.8%). Patients experiencing acculturation stress were more likely to be unemployed (57.6%) and without a residence permit (63.3%). This stress was particularly prevalent among patients with psychotic disorders (25.9%) and first-episode psychiatric cases (64.7%). At discharge, patients with acculturation stress showed less improvement on CGI, GAF, and BPRS scores compared to those without such stress. Acculturation stress is influenced by several socio-demographic factors and is crucial for the full symptomatic remission of migrant patients. Culturally-oriented mental health services, including language and cultural integration programs, are essential in reducing acculturative stress and improving the overall well-being of immigrants.

Increased occurrence of microstate class B as the independent risk factor for persistent psychiatric symptoms related to omicron infection

Increased occurrence of microstate class B as the independent risk factor for persistent psychiatric symptoms related to omicron infection

Functioning Management and Recovery, a psychoeducational intervention for psychiatric residential facilities: a multicenter follow-up study

AimFunctional Management and Recovery is a standardized Psychoeducational Intervention, derived from “Integro”, an effective salutogenic-psychoeducational intervention for people in recovery journey, designed to improve recovery and functioning of individuals with psychotic disorders in Psychiatric Residential Facilities (PRFs). The aim of this study is to evaluate the primary and secondary outcomes of this intervention elaborated specifically for PRFs where evidence based structured interventions seem rare and desirable.Methods66 individuals with psychotic disorders were recruited in 9 PRFs dislocated in the North, Center and South Italy and 63 underwent a multicenter follow-up study with a two time-point evaluation (t0, pre-treatment and t1, 6 months; ). At each time point, social functioning was assessed as primary outcome by the Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP); furthermore, psychopathological status was assessed by Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Recovery by Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS), Cognitive Functioning by Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), Stress management by Stress-Scale, Cognitive Flexibility by Modified Five-Point Test (M-FPT), Emotional Intelligence by Emotional Intelligence Index (EI-I), the PRF Atmosphere and the Opinion of users about the PFR by an ad hoc questionnaire. The Abilities Knowledge, the Utility and Pleasantness of sessions were measured by an ad hoc list of items.Results63 individuals out of 66, 52 (82,5%) affected by schizophrenia and 11 (17,5%) by bipolar I disorder with psychotic symptoms according to DSM-5-TR completed the study. At the end of the study, 43 (68,3%) were male, 57 (90.5%) were single, 5 (7.9%) engaged, 1 (1.6%) married; 45 (71.4%) unemployed. The total scores of PSP, RAS, BPRS, BANS, Stress management, Abilities Knowledge, Utility and Pleasantness of sessions showed a statistically significant improvement at t1 vs. t0. Two sub-scales out of 5 of M-FPT showed a statistically significant improvement. The Emotional Intelligence, the Unit Atmosphere and the Opinion of Users about PFR improved without statistical significance. Six months after the end of the follow-up study 22 individuals of the sample were dismissed with a very high turnover.ConclusionsAfter a six-month follow-up (a short period of time), these results showed improvement in functioning, the primary outcome, as well as in the following secondary outcome variables: RAS, BPRS, BANS, Stress management, Abilities Knowledge, two sub-scales out of 5 of M-FPT, Utility and Pleasantness of sessions. Overall, a remarkable impact of psychoeducational structured intervention on the key Recovery variables is observed. Further studies are needed to address extent and duration of these improvements.

What impact did the COVID-19 pandemic have on psychosis and the delivery of early intervention psychosis services?

What impact did the COVID-19 pandemic have on psychosis and the delivery of early intervention psychosis services?

Circadian lighting effect for inpatients with schizophrenia: A prospective cohort study.

In schizophrenia, nonspecific lighting likely causes sleep timing disturbances, leading to distress and poorer clinical status. However, the effect of exposure to circadian lighting on psychopathology outcome in schizophrenia remains unknown. Hence, this study aimed to develop such an intervention and investigate its impact on schizophrenia. Twenty schizophrenia patients at a psychiatric nursing institute were monitored over 10weeks, with assessments using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) conducted at baseline, weeks 3 (T1), 7 (T2), and 10 (T3). Circadian lighting significantly improved BPRS scores between T1-T2 (p<.05) and T1-T3 (p<.001), with affectivity scores also showing significant enhancements postintervention. Notably, female participants exhibited substantial improvements in BPRS scores from T1 to T3 (p<.01), while male participants demonstrated significant gains in MMSE scores from T1 to T2 (p<.01). Circadian lighting presents a promising intervention for improving psychiatric outcomes in schizophrenia, with distinct benefits observed across different psychopathological aspects and genders. These findings underscore the potential of lighting chronotherapy in psychiatric clinical practice and warrant further exploration in related research.

Inside the Hospitalization Voyage of Schizophrenia Care: A Single-Center Journey.

Schizophrenia poses significant challenges for individuals and caregivers, often leading to recurrent hospitalizations. Limited information on patients with schizophrenia and multiple hospitalizations in Romania is available in the scientific literature. Our study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of patients with schizophrenia with multiple hospitalizations in a single center in Cluj-Napoca, analyzing if specific patterns exist between patients with two or more hospitalizations or between men and women. We conducted a retrospective study on patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10), hospitalized at the County Emergency Hospital of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between 2018 and 2022. Data on demographics, somatic comorbidities, symptom severity using the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) or the brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS), antipsychotic medication, and adverse effects were collected. We evaluated 62 patients, aged from 23 to 57 years, with 157 hospitalizations (ranging from two to seven per patient). No familial history of schizophrenia (56.5%) or bipolar disorder (71%) was reported by most patients. Forty-eight patients were male, and 45 had two hospitalizations. Age, sex, living place and conditions, season of birth, and marital status were similar in patients with two or more than two hospitalizations (p-values > 0.10). Significant differences were observed between patients with two or more than two hospitalizations regarding smoking (63.3% vs. 79.1%, p-value = 0.0029) and symptoms of fear at admission (40.0% vs. 65.7%, p-value = 0.0015). We observed lower scores in the overall PANSS and BPRS scores at discharge compared to admission (p-values < 0.001), regardless of the group (two or more than two hospitalizations, men vs. women). Men and women showed differences in hospitalization stays (median 17.25 vs. 15 days, p-value < 0.001) and BPRS scores at admission (p-value = 0.012) and discharge (p-value = 0.016). Fewer First-Generation Antipsychotics were prescribed for those with two admissions, and nearly half reported adverse effects, notably tachycardia (29%), with similar occurrence within groups. Our results showed that the candidate for multiple hospitalizations is a male, with a mean age of 37 years, unmarried, and living with someone in urban settings, more likely a smoker who exhibits fear symptoms.

Correlation Study of Plasma Homocysteine with PANSS and BPRS of Newly Detected Schizophrenic patients

The underlying etiopathogenesis of long-term psychiatric disorder schizophrenia is not clear. Hyperhomocystenemia is known to play important role in ethiopathogenesis and development of many cognitive disorder including schizophrenia. The present study was undertaken to find out the association between plasma homocysteine with Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) of newly detected schizophrenic patients. PANSS and BPRS are commonly used symptoms rating scale of schizophrenia. Assessment of plasma homocysteine, PANSS and BPRS were done in 30 schizophrenic patients and compared with 50 gender and age matched healthy individuals. The plasma homocysteine, BPRS score and PANSS score of schizophrenic patients were 15.48±2.71 μmol/L, 84.2±1.72, 149.01±1.72 respectively, which were significantly high in comparison to controls. This raised value of homocysteine is also positively and significantly correlated with BPRS and PANSS of study population. This study suggests the role of high homocysteine level in development and progression of schizophrenia.

Exploring the interplay of psychiatric symptoms, antipsychotic medications, side effects, employment status, and quality of life in Chronic Schizophrenia

BackgroundMany factors contribute to quality of life (QoL) in patients with schizophrenia, yet limited research examined these factors in patients in China. This cross-sectional study explores subjective QoL and its associated factors in patients.MethodsThe QoL was assessed using the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS). Clinical symptoms were evaluated using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and seven factors were extracted. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) were used to assess depression and anxiety. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Ascertain Dementia 8 (AD8). The Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) and Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects (RSESE) were used to evaluate the side effects of medications.ResultsWe recruited 270 patients (male:142,52.6%, mean age:41.9 ± 9.4 years). Positive correlations were observed between SQLS and its subdomains with the total score of BPRS, PHQ-9, GAD-7, AD8, TESS, and RSESE (all P < 0.005). Patients who were taking activating second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) had lower scores on total SQLS, Motivation/ Energy domain of SQLS (SQLS-ME) as well as Symptoms/ Side effects domain of SQLS (SQLS-SS) compared to those taking non-activating SGAs (all P < 0.005). Multiple regression analysis showed that depressive/ anxiety symptoms and cognitive impairment had significant negative effects on QoL (P ≤ 0.001), while activating SGAs had a positive effect (P < 0.005). Blunted affect and unemployment were inversely associated with the motivation/energy domain (P < 0.001).ConclusionOur findings emphasize the important role of depression/anxiety symptoms and cognitive impairment in the QoL of patients with chronic schizophrenia. Activating SGAs and employment may improve the QoL of these individuals.Trial registrationThis protocol was registered at chictr.org.cn (Identifier: ChiCTR2100043537).