Tag Archives: long-term evolution

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Similarities and Differences of Social Cognition

Popovici Zs1, Lăzărescu M2, Ienciu Monica3, Bredicean Cristina4, Giurgi Oncu Cătălina5, Bărănescu Ramona5, Cristanovici Mădălina6

1 Psychiatry V, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Romania
2 Psychiatry Clinic Timișoara, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Romania
3 Psychiatry Clinic Timișoara, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Romania
4 Psychiatry Clinic Timișoara, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Romania
5 Psychiatry IV, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Romania
6 Psychiatry I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Romania

Introduction: The term “social cognition” increased attention especially during the past 15–20 years, being considered a factor that could partly explain the deterioration of social functioning in persons suffering of psychosis. Social functioning represents one of the important domains for estimation the long-term evolution of schizophrenic spectrum disorders. The most important areas of social cognition are: emotion processing, theory of mind, social perception, social knowledge (social schema), and attributional style.
Material and method: In the present study we selected 63 subjects, hospitalized in Psychiatric Clinic of Timișoara between 1985–2005. They were divided into 3 samples of diagnosis according to ICD-10 criteria: A – subjects with schizophrenia, B – subjects with persistent delusional disorder and C – subjects diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Socio-demographic features were analyzed and the scales applied were BPRS (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale) and SCRSP (Social Cognition Rating Scale for Psychosis).
Results: The study revealed deficit of social cognition in the 3 samples, with no significant statistical differences. Socio-demographic aspects are similar with other clinical studies.
Conclusions: deficit of social cognition is revealed both in persistent delusional disorder and in schizoaffective disorder, the highest deficit is detected in schizophrenia.

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Course and Stability Diagnosis over Time in Functional Psychosis

Durla Anca1, Lăzărescu M2, Ienciu Monica2, Bredicean Cristina2,3, Papava I2,3, Popovici Z4, Cristanovici Madalina4

1 Mental Health Center, Satu-Mare, Romania
2 Department of Psychiatry, Victor Babeș University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Romania
3 Mara Institute, Timișoara, Romania
4 Timișoara Psychiatric Clinic, Timișoara, Romania

Introduction: Diagnosis stability and clinical course of functional psychoses are complex phenomena and represent an important aspect for clinical practice and research. Diagnosis stability is the degree to which a diagnosis remains constant between a baseline and a follow-up subjects assessments.
Material and method: This work is part of a project developed in Timisoara Psychiatric Clinic (PTTEP) starting with 1985 and is a longitudinal study of functional psychosis. Subjects (59) were selected based on inclusion criteria. The following parameters were analyzed: socio-demographic characteristics of each subject, the average duration of evolution, diagnosis of the first episode of psychosis and diagnosis after 5 and 10 years of evolution.
Results: Sample study analysis shows that most subjects have changed their diagnosis after a period of between 5 to 8 years after the first episode of psychosis. Usually, after a period of about 10 years since the first episode of psychosis the diagnosis remains stable with the appearance of the same kind of episodes. It can be noticed that the most stable diagnosis was of delusional disorder followed by schizophrenia. On the opposite side – the most unstable diagnosis was of acute and transient psychotic disorder.
Conclusion: The clinical diagnosis changes during the first 5 to 7 years of evolution after the first episode of psychosis and becomes stable after about 10 years.

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A Comparative Study of Affective Bipolar Disorder with Schizoaffective Disorder from a Longitudinal Perspective

Milin Miruna1, Lăzărescu M2, Racolţa Anca2, Silvoşeanu C2, Bredicean Cristina3

1 PhD Student, Victor Babeș University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Romania
2 Timișoara Psychiatric Clinic, Timișoara, Romania
3 Department of Neurosciences, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Romania

DOI: 10.2478/amma-2013-0051

Introduction: In the last years there is a great interest for the theory of the “psychotic continuum”, which accepts that there is a transition between schizophrenia and affective pathology, including bipolar disorder with psychotic interferences and the recently introduced diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. There are few studies that analyze bipolar disorder with mood-incongruent psychosis. The purpose of this study was to observe the way in which the interference of mood-incongruent psychotic symptoms can influence the long term evolution of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the similarities that exists between this type of pathology and schizoaffective disorder.
Material and methods: Sixty subjects were selected, who are now diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder, with and without psychotic features. All cases have at least 15 years of evolution since the first episode of psychosis and were analyzed in term of their age of onset and longitudinal evolution.
Results: The results showed that bipolar patients who had mood incongruent psychotic symptoms had an earlier age of onset and a higher rate of hospitalizations in their long term evolution compared to bipolar patients without psychotic features, which brings them closer to patients with schizoaffective disorder in term of their pattern of evolution.
Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that the interference of mood-incongruent psychosis with bipolar disorder determines a worse prognosis of this disease, very similar with the evolution of patients with schizoaffective disorder.

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