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Background: Identifying the unique and shared premorbid indicators of risk for the schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and affective psychoses (AP) may refine aetiological hypotheses and inform the delivery of universal versus targeted preventive interventions. This systematic review synthesises the available evidence concerning developmental risk factors and antecedents of SSD and AP to identify those with the most robust support, and to highlight remaining evidence gaps. Methods: A systematic search of prospective birth, population, high-risk, and case-control cohorts was conducted in Medline and supplemented by hand searching, incorporating published studies in English with full text available. Inclusion/exclusion decisions and data extraction were completed in duplicate. Exposures included three categories of risk factors and four categories of antecedents, with case and comparison groups defined by adult psychiatric diagnosis. Effect sizes and prevalence rates were extracted, where available, and the strength of evidence synthesised and evaluated qualitatively across the study designs. Results: Of 1775 studies identified by the search, 127 provided data to the review. Individuals who develop SSD experience a diversity of subtle premorbid developmental deficits and risk exposures, spanning the prenatal period through early adolescence. Those of greatest magnitude (or observed most consistently) included obstetric complications, maternal illness during pregnancy (especially infections), other maternal physical factors, negative family emotional environment, psychopathology and psychotic symptoms, and cognitive and motor dysfunctions. Relatively less evidence has accumulated to implicate this diversity of exposures in AP, and many yet remain unexamined, with the most consistent or strongest evidence to date being for obstetric complications, psychopathology, cognitive indicators and motor dysfunction. Among the few investigations affording direct comparison between SSD and AP, larger effect sizes and a greater number of significant associations are commonly reported for SSD relative to AP. Conclusions: Shared risk factors for SSD and AP may include obstetric complications, childhood psychopathology, cognitive markers and motor dysfunction, but the capacity to distinguish common versus distinct risk factors/antecedents for SSD and AP is limited by the scant availability of prospective data for AP, and inconsistency in replication. Further studies considering both diagnoses concurrently are needed. Nonetheless, the prevalence of the risk factors/antecedents observed in cases and controls helps demarcate potential targets for preventative interventions for these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of our study is to provide data on the incidence of psychotic disorders in France and compare the incidence rates in populations with different levels of urbanization. Methods: We prospectively included the incident cases of psychotic disorders from two catchment areas with contrasted levels of urbanization. In the more rural area, we also calculated incidence rates in three different groups of population defined by the size of towns in which they live (small, medium and large towns). Results: The annual incidence of psychosis was greater in the urban area (36.02/100000 person-year at risk) than in the rural area (17.2/100000 person-year at risk). Non-affective psychoses were the majority of cases and their incidence was greater in males and younger subjects. The affective psychoses were slightly more frequent in women and showed less variation with age. In the rural centre, greater levels of urbanicity were associated with an increase in the incidence of all psychoses (affective and non-affective). Conclusions: Our study confirms previous observations of increased incidence rates for non-affective psychoses in the more urbanized areas and suggests that a similar pattern might be present for affective psychoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to examine factors associated with treatment adherence in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients followed up over 8 years, especially involuntary first admission and stopping cannabis use. Methods: This prospective, longitudinal study of FEP patients collected data on symptoms, adherence, functioning, and substance use. Adherence to treatment was the main outcome variable and was categorized as 'good' or 'bad'. Cannabis use during follow-up was stratified as continued use, stopped use, and never used. Bivariate and logistic regression models identified factors significantly associated with adherence and changes in adherence over the 8-year follow-up period. Results: Of the 98 FEP patients analyzed at baseline, 57.1% had involuntary first admission, 74.4% bad adherence, and 52% cannabis use. Good adherence at baseline was associated with Global Assessment of Functioning score (p = 0.019), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score (p = 0.017) and voluntary admission (p < 0.001). Adherence patterns over 8 years included: 43.4% patients always bad, 26.1% always good, 25% improved from bad to good. Among the improved adherence group, 95.7% had involuntary first admission and 38.9% stopped cannabis use. In the subgroup of patients with bad adherence at baseline, involuntary first admission and quitting cannabis use during follow up were associated with improved adherence. Conclusions: The long-term association between treatment adherence and type of first admission and cannabis use in FEP patients suggest targets for intervention to improve clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multifamily group psychoeducation (MFG) has been shown to reduce relapse rates among individuals with first-episode psychosis. However, given the cognitive demands associated with participating in this intervention (e.g., learning and applying a structured problem-solving activity), the cognitive deficits that accompany psychotic disorders may limit the ability of certain individuals to benefit from this intervention. Thus, the goal of this study is to examine whether individuals with first-episode psychosis who participate simultaneously in MFG and cognitive remediation-an intervention shown to improve cognitive functioning among individuals with psychotic disorders-will be less likely to experience a relapse than individuals who participate in MFG alone. Methods/Design: Forty individuals with first-episode psychosis and their caregiving relative will be recruited to participate in this study. Individuals with first-episode psychosis will be randomized to one of two conditions: (i) MFG with concurrent participation in cognitive remediation or (ii) MFG alone. The primary outcome for this study is relapse of psychotic symptoms. We will also examine secondary outcomes among both individuals with firstepisode psychosis (i.e., social and vocational functioning, health-related quality of life, service utilization, independent living status, and cognitive functioning) and their caregiving relatives (i.e., caregiver burden, anxiety, and depression) Discussion: Cognitive remediation offers the possibility of ameliorating a specific deficit (i.e., deficits in cognitive functioning) that often accompanies psychotic symptoms and may restrict the magnitude of the clinical benefits derived from MFG. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials (NCT): NCT01196286 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several studies have reported alterations in finger and a-b ridge counts, and their derived measures of asymmetry, in schizophrenia compared to controls. Because ridges are fully formed by the end of the second trimester, they may provide clues to disturbed early development. The aim of this study was to assess these measures in a sample of patients with psychosis and normal controls. Methods: Individuals with psychosis (n = 240), and normal controls (n = 228) were drawn from a catchment-area case-control study. Differences in finger and a-b ridge count and Fluctuating Asymmetry were assessed in three group comparisons (non-affective psychosis versus controls; affective psychosis versus controls; non-affective psychosis versus affective psychosis). The analyses were performed separately for males and females. Results: There were no significant group differences for finger nor a-b ridge counts. While there were no group difference for Directional Asymmetry, for Fluctuating Asymmetry measures men with non-affective psychosis had significantly higher fluctuating asymmetry of the index finger ridge count (a) when compared to controls (FA-correlation score, p = 0.02), and (b) when compared to affective psychosis (adjusted FA-difference score, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Overall, measures of finger and a-b ridge counts, and their derived measures of directional and fluctuating asymmetry were not prominent features of psychosis in this sample. While directional asymmetry in cerebral morphology is reduced in schizophrenia, this is not reflected in dermatoglyphic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of our study was to identify predictors of a high risk of involuntary psychiatric in-patient treatment. Methods: We carried out a detailed analysis of the 1773 mental health records of all the persons treated as in-patients under the PsychKG NRW (Mental Health Act for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) in a metropolitan region of Germany (the City of Cologne) in 2011. 3991 mental health records of voluntary in-patients from the same hospitals served as a control group. We extracted medical, sociodemographic and socioeconomic data from these records. Apart from descriptive statistics, we used a prediction model employing chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID). Results: Among involuntary patients, organic mental disorders (ICD10: F0) and schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders (ICD10: F2) were overrepresented. Patients treated as in-patients against their will were on average older, they were more often retired and had a migratory background. The Exhaustive CHAID analysis confirmed the main diagnosis to be the strongest predictor of involuntary in-patient psychiatric treatment. Other predictors were the absence of outpatient treatment prior to admission, admission outside of regular service hours and migratory background. The highest risk of involuntary treatment was associated with patients with organic mental disorders (ICD 10: F0) who were married or widowed and patients with non-organic psychotic disorders (ICD10: F2) or mental retardation (ICD10: F7) in combination with a migratory background. Also, referrals from general hospitals were frequently encountered. Conclusions: We identified modifiable risk factors for involuntary psychiatric in-patient treatment. This implies that preventive measures may be feasible and should be implemented to reduce the rate of involuntary psychiatric in-patient treatment. This may include efforts to establish crisis resolution teams to improve out-patient treatment, train general hospital staff in deescalation techniques, and develop special programs for patients with a migratory background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]