Effectiveness of antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia: 6-month results of the Pan-European Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (SOHO) study

Objective: To present the 6-month outcomes associated with antipsychotic treatment of patients participating in the Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (SOHO) study. Method: SOHO is a 3-year, prospective, observational study of the health outcomes associated with antipsychotic treatment in 10 European countries. The study included over 10 000 out-patients who were initiating or changing their antipsychotic medication. Results: Clinical Global Impression (CGI)-severity and quality of life (QOL) scores improved in all treatment cohorts. There was a higher response in the CGI-overall symptoms and in the CGI-schizophrenia positive, negative, cognitive and depressive symptom scales in the olanzapine (Olz) and clozapine (Cloz) cohorts compared with other treatment cohorts. Changes were associated with an improvement in QOL. Conclusion: Patients starting Olz and Cloz tend to have better outcomes at 6 months than patients who start other antipsychotics in actual out-patient clinical practice. The results should be interpreted conservatively because of the non-randomized study design.