Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Integrated Treatment Benefits 1st Episode Psychotic Patients

Danish researchers found that integrated treatment lessens psychotic and negative symptoms in those experiencing their first episode of psychosis. The integrated treatment consisted of "aggressive community therapy", social skills training, and psychoeducation for family members. The researchers compared integrated treatment to standard treatment for schizophrenia. The participants were 547 individuals having their first-episode of schizophrenia.

Integrated treatment was 2 years long, and standard treatment involved the option of using a community mental health center. "After 1 year, the 227 patients who were assigned to receive integrated treatment showed a significant reduction in psychotic symptoms over that seen with standard treatment. There was an estimated average difference between the two groups of 0.31 points, as measured on the schedule for clinical assessment in neuropsychiatry, on which values ranged from 0 to 5" (PsychiatrySource.com). Negative symptoms also improved in the integrated treatment group, by a score of 0.36 points in comparison to the standard treatment group.

Those in integrated treatment also were less likely to abuse substances, were more likely to follow treatment guidelines, and reported being more satisfied with treatment than those in the standard group. Unfortunately suicidal thoughts did not seem to significantly improve in the integrated treatment group. Researchers suggested 24-hour support, as well as cognitive behavior therapy to improve such symptoms.

Original Source: Integrated treatment benefits first-episode psychotic patients. PsychiatrySource.com. September 5, 2005.

This research study was published in: BMJ 2005; Early online publication. (In PDF format)