Is disorganized schizophrenia a predictor of treatment resistance? Evidence from an observational study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate whether inpatients with disorganized schizophrenia are more resistant to treatment.

METHOD:

Eighty-five inpatients were assessed at admission and at discharge for schizophrenia subtype, symptom severity, and treatment resistance criteria.

RESULTS:

Disorganized patients were significantly more treatment-resistant than paranoid patients (60%, p = 0.001), and presented worse scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S), and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) (p < 0.001). Although the difference was not significant, 80% of treatment-resistant patients with disorganized schizophrenia responded to clozapine.

CONCLUSION:

Patients with the disorganized subtype of schizophrenia should benefit from clozapine as a second-line agent.

• Authors: Bruno Bertolucci Ortiz, Gerardo Maria de Araújo Filho, Ary Gadelha de Alencar Araripe Neto, Daiane Medeiros, Rodrigo Affonseca Bressan
• Journal: Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) (Braz J Psychiatry) 2013 Oct-Dec Vol. 35 Issue 4 Pg. 432-4 ISSN: 1809-452X [Electronic] Brazil
• PMID: 24402218 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Observational Study)

Chemical References

• Antipsychotic Agents
• Clozapine

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Antipsychotic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Child
• Clozapine (therapeutic use)
• Drug Resistance
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
• Schizophrenia, Disorganized (drug therapy)
• Schizophrenia, Paranoid (drug therapy)
• Young Adult