0000000000353396

AUTHOR

Stefan Klingberg

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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Influencing factors and predictors of early improvement in the acute treatment of schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

Abstract Background To examine the influencing factors and predictors of early improvement in schizophrenia patients. Methods 370 patients suffering from a schizophrenia spectrum disorder were examined within a naturalistic multicenter study. Early improvement was defined as a ≥30% PANSS total score reduction within the first two treatment weeks, response as a ≥50% improvement of the PANSS total score from admission to discharge and remission according to the consensus remission criteria. Baseline and course-related variables such as positive, negative and depressive symptoms, side effects, functioning and subjective well-being were examined regarding their explanatory value for early impro…

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Response trajectories in "real-world" naturalistically treated schizophrenia patients.

Abstract Background To date, research has identified distinct antipsychotic response trajectories yet focussing on data from randomized-controlled trials (RCTs). Therefore, the heterogeneity of response in “real-world” schizophrenia patients is still unknown. Methods Antipsychotic response was evaluated in 399 patients suffering from a schizophrenia spectrum disorder within a naturalistic multicenter study of the Competence Network on Schizophrenia using latent class regression. Baseline and illness-related variables were compared between the different trajectory classes as well as currently proposed outcome definitions (early improvement, response, remission) using univariate tests. In ord…

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Quality of life and subjective well-being in schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders : Valid predictors of symptomatic response and remission?

To examine quality of life and subjective well-being as predictors of symptomatic treatment outcome.Biweekly PANSS ratings were performed in 285 inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders within a multicenter trial by the German Research Network on Schizophrenia. Quality of life and subjective well-being were assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study-Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36), the Subjective Well-being Under Neuroleptic Treatment Scale (SWN-K) and the Adjective Mood Scale (AMS). Response was defined as an initial 20% PANSS total score reduction and remission according to the consensus criteria. Correlation analysis, logistic regression and CART-analysis were performed.I…

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Insight in schizophrenia–course and predictors during the acute treatment phase of patients suffering from a schizophrenia spectrum disorder

AbstractBackgroundTo analyse insight of illness during the course of inpatient treatment, and to identify influencing factors and predictors of insight.MethodsInsight into illness was examined in 399 patients using the item G12 of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (“lack of insight and judgement”). Ratings of the PANSS, HAMD, UKU, GAF, SOFAS, SWN-K and Kemp's compliance scale were performed and examined regarding their potential association with insight. The item G12 was kept as an ordinal variable to compare insight between subgroups of patients.ResultsAlmost 70% of patients had deficits in their insight into illness at admission. A significant improvement of impairments of insight …

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Outcome of suicidal patients with schizophrenia: results from a naturalistic study.

Schennach-Wolff R, Jager M, Seemuller F, Obermeier M, Schmauss M, 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. Outcome of suicidal patients with schizophrenia: results from a naturalistic study. Objective:  Purpose was to assess suicidality before and at the time of admission in patients with schizophrenia and compare outcome differences. Method:  Biweekly PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale), HAMD (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) and UKU (Udvalg for Klinske Undersogelser Side Effect Rating Scale) ratings were evaluated in 339 in-patients with schizophrenic spectrum disorder…

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What are depressive symptoms in acutely ill patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder?

AbstractBackground:Aim was to examine depressive symptoms in acutely ill schizophrenia patients on a single symptom basis and to evaluate their relationship with positive, negative and general psychopathological symptoms.Methods:Two hundred and seventy-eight patients suffering from a schizophrenia spectrum disorder were analysed within a naturalistic study by the German Research Network on Schizophrenia. Using the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) depressive symptoms were examined and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was applied to assess positive, negative and general symptoms. Correlation and factor analyses were calculated to detect the underlying structur…

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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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Challenging the understanding of significant improvement and outcome in schizophrenia - the concept of reliable and clinically significant change methods

Significant changes of schizophrenia patients during inpatient treatment were evalutaed and compared to established outcome criteria. The concept of reliable and clinically significant change methods was applied to three hundred and ninety-six patients suffering from a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. First, information on whether or not the change of the patient's condition is sufficient in order to declare that it is beyond a measurement error or random effect (= reliable change) was evaluated and in a second step it was observed if the reliable change was clinically meaningful (= clinically significant change). Different Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS) thre…

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Add-on Antidepressants in the Naturalistic Treatment of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder – When, Who, and How?

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate antidepressant add-on treatment within the acute treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients. Antidepressant add-on was evaluated in 365 patients within a naturalistic multicenter study. Patients with/without antidepressant add-on were compared regarding clinical and treatment-related variables, response and remission, and remission of depressive and negative symptoms. The efficacy of antidepressant add-on treatment was furthermore analyzed applying marginal structure models. Twenty-three percent of the patients received antidepressant add-on for a mean duration of 50.28 (33.42) days. Patients with the diagnosis of a schizoaffective d…

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Remission in schizophrenia — What are we measuring? Comparing the consensus remission criteria to a CGI-based definition of remission and to remission in major depression

Despite being recommended for use in clinical trials, the consensus remission criteria were found to leave patients with persisting symptoms, relevant areas of functional impairment and a decreased sense of wellbeing. Therefore, to evaluate the appropriateness of the schizophrenia consensus criteria, a definition of remission based on the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) was developed and remitter subgroups were compared.239 patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder were evaluated regarding their remission status after inpatient treatment. Remission in schizophrenia was defined according to the symptom-severity component of the consensus criteria by Andreasen et al. and a CGI ba…

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