Factors Affecting the Duration of Untreated Psychosis in Community-Dwelling Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder
10.16946/kjsr.2020.23.1.1
- Author:
Mina KIM
1
;
Jae-Kyeong KIM
;
Min JHON
;
Ju-Wan KIM
;
Ju-Yeon LEE
;
Jae-Min KIM
;
IL-Seon SHIN
;
Jin-Sang YOON
;
Myung-Soo LEE
;
Sung-Wan KIM
Author Information
1. Gwangju Mental Health and Welfare Commission, Gwangju, Korea
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
2020;23(1):1-7
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Objectives:This study aimed to identify factors affecting the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
Methods:Six-hundred patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder were recruited from mental health welfare centers in Gwangju Metropolitan City and Gyeonggi-do. Subjects were categorized into two groups according to median DUP. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between the two groups.
Results:The mean DUP was 80.8 weeks, and the median DUP was 15.9 weeks. Patients with Medicaid, higher age, and longer duration of the schizophrenia prodrome were more likely to have a longer DUP. The DUP was shorter in patients who were consulted by family/relatives prior to treatment. Patients visiting university hospitals were more likely to have a shorter DUP compared with those visiting psychiatric clinics or small-sized mental hospitals, i.e., with less than 100 beds. A multivariate regression analysis showed that the duration of the prodrome was a factor that significantly affected DUP.
Conclusion:The vulnerable group of patients with schizophrenia with a long DUP should be monitored closely. Moreover, it is necessary to develop a strategy to identify patients who have an insidious course of psychosis to reduce the DUP.
