The impact of family experience on the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) in Hong Kong

Abstract

In addition to the mode of onset, previous family experience plays an important role in the presentation of early psychosis. Educational efforts that target the family should be an important part of any strategy for the early detection of psychosis.

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

“…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.…”

“…While the current study is similar to the previous studies in several ways (e.g., FEP patient samples, large sample sizes, and similar operationalizations of DUI/DUP), there are several important methodological differences. First, our study utilized a strict definition of FH that was defined as the presence of a non-affective psychotic disorder in a first-degree relative of the patient, whereas both Chen et al (2005) and Norman et al (2007) included both first- and second-degree relatives. Second, the current study focused only on the presence of psychosis in family members, whereas Chen et al (2005) included any psychiatric illness.…”

“…First, our study utilized a strict definition of FH that was defined as the presence of a non-affective psychotic disorder in a first-degree relative of the patient, whereas both Chen et al (2005) and Norman et al (2007) included both first- and second-degree relatives. Second, the current study focused only on the presence of psychosis in family members, whereas Chen et al (2005) included any psychiatric illness. Third, the previous studies did not examine the impact of FH on DUI/DUP separately for males and females, thus potentially obscuring interesting sex differences with respect to the influence of FH.…”

“…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. Others have found that FH of psychosis is associated with a shorter DUP (Chen et al, 2005), while others have found no relationship between FH of psychosis and DUP (Verdoux et al, 1998; de Haan et al, 2002). Thus, we currently lack an understanding of the true impact of FH on DUI and DUP.…”

MRI Predicts Remission at 1 Year in First-Episode Schizophrenia in Females with Larger Striato-Thalamic Volumes

“…Remission was assessed using the modified GAF [13] based on careful case-note review with the responsible clinician. The duration of psychosis was assessed according to the Interview for the Retrospective Assessment of the Onset and Course of Schizophrenia [25,26]. This study was approved by the hospital Institutional Review Board and was performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki.…”