Delay in treatment for psychosis

Abstract

These findings suggest the importance of examining family history as a possible confound of any relationship between DUI and long-term course of illness.

Family history of psychosis negatively impacts age at onset, negative symptoms, and duration of untreated illness and psychosis in first-episode psychosis patients

“…However, Hambrecht (1995) also hypothesized that multiply-affected families are more adept at recognizing the onset of positive symptoms, thereby reducing the time between onset of psychotic symptoms and initiation of treatment for a newly psychotic family member. In line with the former hypothesis, Norman et al (2007) discovered that the presence of a FH of psychosis is associated with a longer DUI (but not shorter DUP). In line with the latter hypothesis that FH is associated with a shorter DUP, Chen et al (2005) found that FH of psychiatric illness was a significant predictor of a shorter DUP.…”

“…For example, Norman and colleagues (2007) found that probands with a FH of psychosis had a longer DUI when compared to probands without a FH of psychosis. This finding points to the possibility of differences in length of prodromal period, a suggestion that is supported in Morley et al (2008), who found that males with a FH of psychotic illness had a longer duration of prodrome relative to patients with no FH of psychiatric illness.…”

“…For example, the majority of studies include a mix of patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and chronic psychotic disorders, and there is a dearth of pure FEP research studies (Jablensky and Cole, 1997; Castle et al, 1998; Konnecke et al, 2000; Norman et al, 2007; Chen et al, 2007; Tabatabaee et al, 2008). Studying the impact of FH on FEP patients may be particularly beneficial in that clinical characteristics are not further complicated by chronicity or medication effects, thus potentially obscuring the true impact of FH.…”

Constructing illness: How the public in eight Western nations respond to a clinical description of “schizophrenia”

“…Perhaps the most consistent influence on individuals’ lay diagnoses is experience, whether their own or that of others with similar health situations (e.g., Furnham & Wardley, 1991; Gum et al, 2009; Yokopenic et al, 1983). In fact, families with a history of psychotic illness were more likely to recognize a problem for a family member even prior to the onset of manifest psychotic symptoms (Norman et al, 2007). …”

Der erste Kontakt mit einer psychiatrischen Einrichtung: Was brauchen die Angehörigen Schizophreniekranker?

“…Die Dauer unbehandelter psychotischer Symptomatik dürfte vor allem vom Hilfesucheverhalten der Kranken abhängen, das wiederum von den Familienangehörigen beeinflusst wird [2]. So scheint die Bedeutung, die Bezugspersonen einem Symptom zumessen (nämlich, ob diese für ernst oder trivial gehalten werden), ein wesentlicher Faktor zu sein, der das Hilfesucheverhalten der Kranken beeinflusst [3,4]. Eine negative bzw.…”