AUTHOR=Cheng Zhang , Yuan Yanbo , Han Xue , Yang Lei , Zeng Xin , Yang Fude , Lu Zheng , Wang Chuanyue , Deng Hong , Zhao Jingping , Yu Xin 

TITLE=Which Subgroup of First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients Can Remit During the First Year of Antipsychotic Treatment?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00566

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00566

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>To investigate the persistent remission rate (PRR) and its predictors within the first year of antipsychotic treatment in first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>In a sample of 301 FES patients who remained in antipsychotic treatment for 1 year, we assessed symptoms with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), cognition in six domains and functioning with the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP).</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>In total, 75.4% (227/301) of FES patients remaining in antipsychotic treatment reached persistent remission (PR) in one year. The PSP score was higher in remitters than non-remitters at the endpoint of the 1-year follow-up (P &lt;0.0001). The PANSS negative score—but not the PANSS total score, positive score or general psychopathological score; PSP score; or cognitive performance at baseline—was negatively associated with PR. Lower scores for “abstract thinking” and “stereotyped thinking” were independent predictors of PR.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>In FES, nearly 3/4 patients could achieve PR with 1 year of antipsychotic treatment, and having fewer negative symptoms, especially thinking and volition symptoms, can predict PR.</p></sec><sec><title>Clinical Trial Registration</title><p><uri xlink:href="http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">www.ClinicalTrials.gov</uri>, identifier NCT01057849.</p></sec>