Mehmet Hanifi Kokaçya1, Osman Virit2, Ümit Sertan Çöpoğlu2, Haluk Savaş2, Mustafa Ari1, Bülent Bahçeci3. 1. Department of Psychiatry, Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey. 2. Department of Psychiatry, Gaziantep University School of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey. 3. Department of Psychiatry, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University School of Medicine, Rize, Turkey.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that negatively affects the quality of life and psychosocial functions. Defined criteria to assess remission in schizophrenia are considered to be useful in the long-term follow-up of patients and in discriminating diagnostic factors. This study investigated the quality of life and functionality in schizophrenia patients in symptomatic remission (R-Sch) and not in remission (Non-R-Sch). METHODS: Sociodemographic data were collected for 40 R-Sch and 40 Non-R-Sch patients, and the following scales were administered: the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Scale; Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Form, Turkish Version (WHOQOL-BREF-TR), Quality of Life Scale for Schizophrenia Patients (QLS), and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). RESULTS: The total and all subscale scores of PANSS and the CGI-S score were significantly lower in the R-Sch group than in the Non-R-Sch group, whereas the GAF scores and all subscales of QLS and WHOQOL-BREF-TR were significantly higher. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that improvement in symptoms in schizophrenia patients improves quality and functionality in all areas of life, suggesting that an improvement in symptoms is the most important determinant of functional recovery in the treatment of schizophrenia.
INTRODUCTION:Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that negatively affects the quality of life and psychosocial functions. Defined criteria to assess remission in schizophrenia are considered to be useful in the long-term follow-up of patients and in discriminating diagnostic factors. This study investigated the quality of life and functionality in schizophreniapatients in symptomatic remission (R-Sch) and not in remission (Non-R-Sch). METHODS: Sociodemographic data were collected for 40 R-Sch and 40 Non-R-Sch patients, and the following scales were administered: the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Scale; Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Form, Turkish Version (WHOQOL-BREF-TR), Quality of Life Scale for SchizophreniaPatients (QLS), and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). RESULTS: The total and all subscale scores of PANSS and the CGI-S score were significantly lower in the R-Sch group than in the Non-R-Sch group, whereas the GAF scores and all subscales of QLS and WHOQOL-BREF-TR were significantly higher. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that improvement in symptoms in schizophreniapatients improves quality and functionality in all areas of life, suggesting that an improvement in symptoms is the most important determinant of functional recovery in the treatment of schizophrenia.
Entities:
Keywords:
Schizophrenia; quality of life; symptomatic remission
Authors: P B Fitzgerald; C L Williams; N Corteling; S L Filia; K Brewer; A Adams; A R de Castella; T Rolfe; P Davey; J Kulkarni Journal: Acta Psychiatr Scand Date: 2001-05 Impact factor: 6.392