Association between duration of Untreated Psychosis and severer symptoms and poorer quality of life: study in First-Episode Psychosis patients

Introduction The First Episode Psychosis (FEP) Inpatient Unit is specialized in early assessment/intervention in patients with Psychotic Disorders. Duration of Untreated Psychosis/DUP has a key role in the prognosis of those patients. Longer DUP is associated with poorer treatment response and greater risk of relapse. Some studies also suggest an association between DUP and the severity of negative symptoms, but further research is needed. Objectives The objectives of this study were to analyze the relationship between DUP and psychotic symptoms, duration of admission, medication, and quality of life, after inpatient intervention. Methods This is a retrospective study of a cohort (N=25) admitted to the unit. Sociodemographic and clinical variables (number of days of hospitalization, DUP, and Defined Daily Dose/DDD of antipsychotics) were evaluated. Psychometric instruments (PANSS/Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and WHOQOL-BREF/World Health Organization Quality Of Life) were applied at admission and at discharge. We used a Spearman correlation test to measure the degree of association between the variables. Results Longer DUP correlated with more days of hospitalization, higher negative PANSS scores, and poorer social relationships domain of the WHOQOL at admission (p