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Objective: This is a follow-up study designed to determine the predictive value of psychopathology and family-related variables in schizophrenia patients and their relatives. Methods: Forty-four schizophrenia patients and one of their relatives living with them were assessed one month and six-to-eight months after release from hospital. Sociodemographic characteristics were questioned and quality of life of patients was assessed using the World Health Organisation Quality of Life Scale Short Form, Turkish version (WHOQOL-BREF-TR), family-related variables by the Family Environment Scale (FES) and the Level of Expressed Emotion scale, disorder related variables by the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, scales for assessment of negative and positive symptoms in schizophrenia, the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale, the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and the Clinical Global Impression scale and insight by the Markovaand Berrios Insight Scale. Relatives of the patients were assessed by the FES, the Expressed Emotion and WHOQOL-BREF-TR scales. Results: Depressive symptoms must be taken into consideration in order to improve the quality of life in schizophrenia patients. The importance of family environment should be emphasized, recommending that family rules should be flexible, and tolerance towards the patient should be increased for stable patients to improve their quality of lives. Conclusion: No changes were observed in the quality of life levels in schizophrenia patients and their relatives in time. In the same period, a decrease was observed in positive and negative symptoms, depressive symptoms, disorder severity and conflict in family environment, while insight and functionality were improved. Statistically, the most robust predictor of patients' quality of life was found to be the severity of depressive symptoms. Additionally, greater tolerance and less conflict in the family environment and family members' support to each other have been found to be related to various domains of the quality of life. The relatives' quality of life did not show any significant change in the follow-up controls as well. The most important predictor of their quality of life was less conflict in the family environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this retrospective chart review study we aimed to investigate the effect of pimozide augmentation on schizophrenia patients with poor or partial response to clozapine therapy. Methods: Charts of 17 treatment resistant schizophrenia patients who had poor or partial response to at least one year clozapine therapy and whose treatment was augmented with pimozide were evaluated. Patients who had Clinical Global ImpressionSeverity (CGIS) scores ≥4 and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores ≥72 were considered as poor or partial clozapine responders. The scores on the PANSS, CGI scale, and Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS) obtained in the first and the third months of follow-up were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the 8 female and 9 male (total 17) patients was 32.23±7.87 years, the mean age at onset of illness was 19.94±4.19 years, the mean duration of illness was 12.29±6.12 years, the mean clozapine dose was 500±58.63 mg/day, and the mean pimozide dose was 3.88±0.60 mg /day. The mean PANSS scores decreased from 99.70±13.91 to 3.64±1.27 and the mean CGIS scores decreased from 4.82±0.80 to 3.64±1.27. ESRS scores did not change significantly after the addition of pimozide to the treatment. Conclusion: Pimozide augmentation of clozapine was found to be effective and safe in treatment resistant schizophrenia patients with poor or partial response to clozapine therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this retrospective chart review study we aimed to investigate the effect of pimozide augmentation on schizophrenia patients with poor or partial response to clozapine therapy. Methods: Charts of 17 treatment resistant schizophrenia patients who had poor or partial response to at least one year clozapine therapy and whose treatment was augmented with pimozide were evaluated. Patients who had Clinical Global ImpressionSeverity (CGIS) scores ≥4 and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores ≥72 were considered as poor or partial clozapine responders. The scores on the PANSS, CGI scale, and Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS) obtained in the first and the third months of follow-up were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the 8 female and 9 male (total 17) patients was 32.23±7.87 years, the mean age at onset of illness was 19.94±4.19 years, the mean duration of illness was 12.29±6.12 years, the mean clozapine dose was 500±58.63 mg/day, and the mean pimozide dose was 3.88±0.60 mg /day. The mean PANSS scores decreased from 99.70±13.91 to 3.64±1.27 and the mean CGIS scores decreased from 4.82±0.80 to 3.64±1.27. ESRS scores did not change significantly after the addition of pimozide to the treatment. Conclusion: Pimozide augmentation of clozapine was found to be effective and safe in treatment resistant schizophrenia patients with poor or partial response to clozapine therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This is a follow-up study designed to determine the predictive value of psychopathology and family-related variables in schizophrenia patients and their relatives. Methods: Forty-four schizophrenia patients and one of their relatives living with them were assessed one month and six-to-eight months after release from hospital. Sociodemographic characteristics were questioned and quality of life of patients was assessed using the World Health Organisation Quality of Life Scale Short Form, Turkish version (WHOQOL-BREF-TR), family-related variables by the Family Environment Scale (FES) and the Level of Expressed Emotion scale, disorder related variables by the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, scales for assessment of negative and positive symptoms in schizophrenia, the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale, the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and the Clinical Global Impression scale and insight by the Markovaand Berrios Insight Scale. Relatives of the patients were assessed by the FES, the Expressed Emotion and WHOQOL-BREF-TR scales. Results: Depressive symptoms must be taken into consideration in order to improve the quality of life in schizophrenia patients. The importance of family environment should be emphasized, recommending that family rules should be flexible, and tolerance towards the patient should be increased for stable patients to improve their quality of lives. Conclusion: No changes were observed in the quality of life levels in schizophrenia patients and their relatives in time. In the same period, a decrease was observed in positive and negative symptoms, depressive symptoms, disorder severity and conflict in family environment, while insight and functionality were improved. Statistically, the most robust predictor of patients' quality of life was found to be the severity of depressive symptoms. Additionally, greater tolerance and less conflict in the family environment and family members' support to each other have been found to be related to various domains of the quality of life. The relatives' quality of life did not show any significant change in the follow-up controls as well. The most important predictor of their quality of life was less conflict in the family environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the treatment of resistant schizophrenic patients, the preferred monotherapy of clozapine, does not result in sufficient treatment response in 40-70% of the cases. The high rate of treatment unresponsiveness has led clinicians to augment clozapine with other pharmacological agents. To date, many clinical and case studies have been conducted. In related studies, clozapine has been combined with various drugs, such as typical and atypical antipsychotics, several antidepressants, mood stabilizers, bromocriptine and glycine. However, up-to-date research study results are not sufficient to support the augmentation of clozapine therapy approaches. The augmentation of clozapine with pimozide has been a rarely preferred approach. In this paper, a case of a patient is presented, who was followed with the diagnosis of treatment-resistant disorganized schizophrenia and whose clozapine treatment was augmented with pimozide. The presented history reveals that only the combination of clozapine with pimozide was beneficial for this particular patient, whose symptoms relapsed after the cessation of the drugs, and who apparently benefited from treatment when this combination was initiated again. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the treatment of resistant schizophrenic patients, the preferred monotherapy of clozapine, does not result in sufficient treatment response in 40-70% of the cases. The high rate of treatment unresponsiveness has led clinicians to augment clozapine with other pharmacological agents. To date, many clinical and case studies have been conducted. In related studies, clozapine has been combined with various drugs, such as typical and atypical antipsychotics, several antidepressants, mood stabilizers, bromocriptine and glycine. However, up-to-date research study results are not sufficient to support the augmentation of clozapine therapy approaches. The augmentation of clozapine with pimozide has been a rarely preferred approach. In this paper, a case of a patient is presented, who was followed with the diagnosis of treatment-resistant disorganized schizophrenia and whose clozapine treatment was augmented with pimozide. The presented history reveals that only the combination of clozapine with pimozide was beneficial for this particular patient, whose symptoms relapsed after the cessation of the drugs, and who apparently benefited from treatment when this combination was initiated again. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]