Illness course and quality of life in Mexican patients with psychosis.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To analyze the differences in the quality of life of patients with psychosis according to the course of the illness.

METHOD:

Clinical records and SCID-I interviews were used to establish the course of the illness and to categorize it according to 3 criteria: a) relapses, b) residual symptoms, and c) clinical diagnosis. Subjective quality of life was assessed with the Seville Questionnaire.

RESULTS:

Sixty one patients (56% women) participated, reporting a mostly adequate quality of life. An illness course characterized by the presence of residual symptoms, rather than by the occurrence of any relapse or the progression of a first-episode psychosis into schizophrenia, showed a negative effect on the perceived quality of life of patients.

CONCLUSIONS:

The clinical services provided to patients with psychosis should focus not only on symptoms remission and relapse prevention, but also achieving a recovery with a satisfactory quality of life. Having identified residual symptoms as a crucial factor negatively affecting quality of life, clinicians must carefully assess them and treat them, in order to achieve the best possible recovery.

• Authors: Lizzette Gómez-de-Regil
• Journal: Revista de psiquiatria y salud mental (Rev Psiquiatr Salud Ment) 2015 Oct-Dec Vol. 8 Issue 4 Pg. 218-23 ISSN: 1989-4600 [Electronic] Spain
• PMID: 24631456 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2013 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Female
• Health Status Indicators
• Humans
• Male
• Mexico
• Middle Aged
• Psychotic Disorders (psychology, therapy)
• Quality of Life (psychology)
• Schizophrenia (therapy)
• Schizophrenic Psychology
• Young Adult