Cognitive-perceptual deficits and symptom correlates in first-episode schizophrenia.

Background: Thought disorder and visual-perceptual deficits have been well documented, but their relationships with clinical symptoms and cognitive function remain unclear. Cognitive-perceptual deficits may underscore clinical symptoms in schizophrenia patients.

Aim: This study aimed to explore how thought disorder and form perception are related with clinical symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in first-episode schizophrenia.

Comparison of treatment response in second-episode versus first-episode schizophrenia.

This study investigated whether illness progression and treatment refractoriness emerge after relapse in schizophrenia. We compared outcomes in a cohort treated with a standardized protocol for the first and second episodes of illness. The sample comprised 31 participants who (1) had successfully completed a 2-year open-label treatment phase with risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) for a first episode of schizophrenia; (2) underwent an intermittent treatment extension phase up to 3 years or until recurrence, and (3) entered a further 2-year treatment phase with RLAI for a recurrence episode.

Symptom recurrence following intermittent treatment in first-episode schizophrenia successfully treated for 2 years: a 3-year open-label clinical study.

Objective: An unanswered question in the management of schizophrenia is how long antipsychotic treatment should be continued after a single psychotic episode. In this study, we assessed the rates of symptom recurrence with intermittent treatment in patients with a first episode of DSM-IV-defined schizophrenia or related illness after 2 years of successful continuous treatment. We also investigated antecedents of recurrence, as well as demographic and baseline clinical predictors of early recurrence, and we compared the psychopathology of the recurrence episode with that of the first episode.

Oral versus injectable antipsychotic treatment in early psychosis: post hoc comparison of two studies.

Background: Few studies have compared long-acting injectable second-generation antipsychotics with oral antipsychotics. Long-acting injectable antipsychotics-developed specifically to address the problem of adherence-might have an important role to play in treating early psychosis.

Objective: The effects of oral antipsychotics versus risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) were compared between 2 similar studies lasting 2 years each that were conducted at our site in South Africa.

Safety of the omega-3 fatty acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in psychiatric patients: results from a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are increasingly being used by psychiatric patients. Most studies have concentrated on efficacy aspects, while little is known about their safety and tolerability in psychiatric populations. This study aimed to assess the effects of EPA treatment on body mass, glucose metabolism, lipid profiles, prolactin secretion, bleeding time, haematology and liver functions.

Remission in patients with first-episode schizophrenia receiving assured antipsychotic medication: a study with risperidone long-acting injection.

Recently proposed criteria for remission by a 'Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group' have generated considerable interest. We assessed rates, predictors, and correlates of remission in a sample of patients with first-episode schizophrenia treated with injectable, long-acting risperidone. This allowed us to examine remission among patients known to be receiving medication.

Predictors of abnormal involuntary movement in an african schizophrenia population.

As little is known about the risk factors for abnormal involuntary movements in African patients with schizophrenia, 170 Xhosa participants with schizophrenia were rated with the abnormal involuntary movement scale. Abnormal involuntary movements occurred in 19.4% of this group.

Long-acting injectable risperidone in the treatment of subjects with recent-onset psychosis: a preliminary study.

Using a long-acting antipsychotic to improve adherence early in the illness may reduce relapse rates and promote sustained remission, thereby improving the long-term outcome of schizophrenia. We assessed whether risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) could be used safely and effectively in the treatment of recent-onset psychosis. Fifty patients aged 15 to 43 years with newly diagnosed schizophreniform disorder or schizophrenia were treated with RLAI 25 to 50 mg every 2 weeks for 2 years.