Symptomatic and functional remission in patients with first-episode psychosis

Verma S, Subramaniam M, Abdin E, Poon LY, Chong SA. Symptomatic and functional remission in patients with first-episode psychosis. Objective: For patients suffering from psychotic disorders and their caregivers, recovery remains important. Our study aims to examine the rates of both symptomatic and functional remission in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients at 2 years and identify sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with recovery. Method: In this naturalistic study, all consecutive FEP patients presenting to an early psychosis intervention programme were recruited. Symptomatic remission was defined by the Schizophrenia Working Groups criteria; functional remission was defined as a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) disability score of =61 with engagement in age-appropriate vocation. Simple and multiple logistic regressions using stepwise method were used. Results: Out of 1175 patients, 636 (54.1%) met criteria for symptomatic remission, 686 (58.4%) for functional remission, while 345 (29.4%) met for both. Multiple logistic regression revealed female gender (OR 1.47; 95%CI, 1.121.93), those married (OR 1.49; 95%CI, 1.022.18), younger age (OR 0.98; 95%CI, 0.950.99), tertiary education (OR 1.56; 95%CI, 1.022.38), shorter DUP (OR 0.99; 95%CI, 0.980.99), lower baseline PANSS negative scores (OR 0.97; 95%CI, 0.950.99), and early response at month 3 (OR 1.78; 95%CI, 1.312.42), as significant predictors of recovery at year 2. Conclusion: Our results indicate that strategies to reduce DUP and achieve early response could improve remission rates in FEP patients.