0000000000076986

AUTHOR

Thomas Messer

Time course of antipsychotic treatment response in schizophrenia: Results from a naturalistic study in 280 patients

To describe the course of positive and negative symptoms during inpatient treatment and examine remission and response rates under routine clinical care conditions.Two hundred and eighty inpatients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV criteria) were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at admission and at biweekly intervals until discharge from hospital. Remission was defined according to the symptom-severity component of the consensus criteria (Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group) as a rating of three or less in the relevant PANSS items at discharge, and response as a reduction of at least 20% in the PANSS total score from admission to discharge.The mean duration of in…

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Evaluating depressive symptoms and their impact on outcome in schizophrenia applying the Calgary Depression Scale

Schennach-Wolff R, Obermeier M, Seemuller F, Jager M, Messer T, Laux G, Pfeiffer H, Naber D, Schmidt LG, Gaebel W, Klosterkotter J, Heuser I, Maier W, Lemke MR, Ruther E, Klingberg S, Gastpar M, Moller H-J, Riedel M. Evaluating depressive symptoms and their impact on outcome in schizophrenia applying the Calgary Depression Scale. Objective:  To examine depressive symptoms, their course during treatment, and influence on outcome. Method:  Weekly Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia ratings were performed in 249 inpatients with schizophrenia. Early response was defined as a 20% reduction in the total score of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia from admission to w…

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Cost-effectiveness of psychotropic polypharmacy in routine schizophrenia care. Results of the ELAN prospective observational trial

Abstract Aims To analyse the costs and cost-effectiveness of psychotropic polypharmacy in comparison to antipsychotic monotherapy in patients with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder under real-world treatment conditions. Methods A prospective observational study including 374 adult psychiatric in-patients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder was conducted. Psychotropic regimen, clinical outcomes, and quality of life were assessed before discharge and after 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Costs and outcomes of psychotropic polypharmacy in comparison to antipsychotic monotherapy were analysed by means of mixed-effects regression models adjusted for propensity scores. Net-benefit…

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Attitude towards adherence in patients with schizophrenia at discharge

Abstract Background Purpose of the present study was to assess the attitude towards adherence at discharge and to verify its predictability using anamnestic and sociodemographic variables, factors influencing clinical treatment as well as the medical treatment applied. Methods Attitude towards adherence was evaluated in 369 inpatients with schizophrenic spectrum disorders within a naturalistic multicenter trial using the Compliance Rating Scale (CRS) by Kemp. Biweekly ratings of the PANSS, UKU and the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic Treatment Scale (SWN-K) were applied. Logistic regression and CART analyses were used to determine significant predictor variables for the attitude towa…

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Consensus Guidelines for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Neuropsychopharmacology: Update 2017

AbstractTherapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is the quantification and interpretation of drug concentrations in blood to optimize pharmacotherapy. It considers the interindividual variability of pharmacokinetics and thus enables personalized pharmacotherapy. In psychiatry and neurology, patient populations that may particularly benefit from TDM are children and adolescents, pregnant women, elderly patients, individuals with intellectual disabilities, patients with substance abuse disorders, forensic psychiatric patients or patients with known or suspected pharmacokinetic abnormalities. Non-response at therapeutic doses, uncertain drug adherence, suboptimal tolerability, or pharmacokinetic drug…

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Defining and predicting functional outcome in schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Abstract Background: To assess criteria and to identify predictive factors for functional outcome. The criteria should cover all domains proposed by the Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group. Method: PANSS ratings were used to evaluate the symptomatic treatment outcome of 262 inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders within a naturalistic multicenter trial. Functional remission was defined as a GAF score > 61 (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale), SOFAS score > 61 (Social and Occupational Functioning Scale) and a SF-36 mental health subscore > 40 (Medical Outcomes Study—Short Form Health Survey). Multivariate logistic regression and CART analyses were used to determine valid cl…

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Assessment and management of agitation in psychiatry: Expert consensus

International audience; BACKGROUND:Psychomotor agitation is associated with different psychiatric conditions and represents an important issue in psychiatry. Current recommendations on agitation in psychiatry are not univocal. Actually, an improper assessment and management may result in unnecessary coercive or sedative treatments. A thorough and balanced review plus an expert consensus can guide assessment and treatment decisions.METHODS:An expert task force iteratively developed consensus using the Delphi method. Initial survey items were based on systematic review of the literature. Subsequent surveys included new, re-worded or re-rated items.RESULTS:Out of 2175 papers assessing psychomo…

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Response and remission of subjective well-being in patients suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

AbstractBackgroundPurpose of this study was to assess subjective well-being in schizophrenia inpatients and to find variables predictive for response and remission of subjective well-being.MethodThe subjective well-being under neuroleptic treatment scale (SWN-K) was used in 232 schizophrenia patients within a naturalistic multicenter trial. Early response was defined as a SWN-K total score improvement of 20% and by at least 10 points within the first 2 treatment weeks, response as an improvement in SWN-K total score of at least 20% and by at least 10 points from admission to discharge and remission in subjective well-being as a total score of more or equal to 80 points at discharge. Logisti…

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