Unmet needs in patients with brief psychotic disorders: Too ill for clinical high risk services and not ill enough for first episode services

Amedeo Minichino, Grazia Rutigliano, Sergio Merlino, Cathy Davies, Dominic Oliver, Andrea Ilario De Micheli, Rashmi Patel, Philip McGuire, Paolo Fusar-Poli

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35 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Background
Patients with acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPDs) are by definition remitting, but have a high risk of developing persistent psychoses, resembling a subgroup of individuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P). Their pathways to care, treatment offered and long-term clinical outcomes beyond risk to psychosis are unexplored. We conducted an electronic health record-based retrospective cohort study including patients with ATPDs within the SLaM NHS Trust and followed-up to 8 years.

Methods
A total of 2561 ATPDs were included in the study. A minority were detected (8%) and treated (18%) by Early Intervention services (EIS) and none by CHR-P services. Patients were offered a clinical follow-up of 350.40 ± 589.90 days. The cumulative incidence of discharges was 40% at 3 months, 60% at 1 year, 69% at 2 years, 77% at 4 years, and 82% at 8 years. Treatment was heterogeneous: the majority of patients received antipsychotics (up to 52%), only a tiny minority psychotherapy (up to 8%).

Results
Over follow-up, 32.88% and 28.54% of ATPDS received at least one mental health hospitalization or one compulsory hospital admission under the Mental Health Act, respectively. The mean number of days spent in psychiatric hospital was 66.39 ± 239.44 days.

Conclusions
The majority of ATPDs are not detected/treated by EIS or CHR-P services, receive heterogeneous treatments and short-term clinical follow-up. ATPDs have a high risk of developing severe clinical outcomes beyond persistent psychotic disorders and unmet clinical needs that are not targeted by current mental health services.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)26-32
Number of pages7
JournalEuropean Psychiatry
Volume57
Early online date15 Jan 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2019

Keywords

  • ATPDs
  • Prevention
  • Psychosis
  • Risk
  • Schizophrenia

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