Persistence Or Recurrence Of Non-Psychotic Comorbid Mental Disorders Associated With 6-Year Poor Functional Outcomes In Patients At Ultra High Risk For Psychosis

Grazia Rutigliano, Lucia Valmaggia, Paola Landi, Marianna Frascarelli, Marco Cappucciati, Victoria Sear, Matteo Rocchetti, Andrea De Micheli, Ceri Jones, Erika Palombini, Philip Mcguire, Paolo Fusar-poli

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117 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Background:

Patients at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR) are a highly heterogeneous group in terms of clinical and functional outcomes. Several non-psychotic mental disorders co-occur together with the UHR state. Little is known about the impact of non-psychotic comorbid mental disorders on clinical and functional outcomes of UHR patients.

Methods:

The sample included 154 UHR help-seeking patients (identified with the CAARMS, Comprehensive Assessment of the At-Risk Mental State), evaluated at baseline on the Ham-D, Ham-A (Hamilton Depression/Anxiety Rating Scale), and PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale). 74 patients completed the 6-year follow-up assessment (mean=6.19, SD=1.87). Comorbid disorders at follow-up were assessed with the SCID I and II. Global functioning was rated on the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale.

Results:

In the present sample, 6-year risk of psychosis transition was 28.4%. Among non-transitioned UHR patients, 28.3% reported Attenuated Psychotic Symptoms (APS) and 45.3% remained functionally impaired at follow-up (Global Assessment of Functioning, GAF < 60). 56.8% patients were affected by at least one comorbid disorder at follow-up. Among UHR patients who presented with some comorbid disorder at baseline, 61.5% had persistent or recurrent course. Incident comorbid disorders emerged in 45.4% of baseline UHR patients. The persistence or recurrence of non-psychotic comorbid mental disorders was associated with poorer global functional outcomes at follow-up.

Limitations:

A substantial proportion of the initial sample was not available for follow-up interviews and some groups in the analyses had small sample size. Predictors of longitudinal outcomes were not explored.

Conclusions:

Among UHR patients, persistence or recurrence of non-psychotic comorbid mental disorders, mostly affective disorders, is associated with 6-year poor functional outcomes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)101-110
JournalJournal of Affective Disorders
Volume203
Early online date31 May 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2016

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