Early signs and symptoms before the psychotic onset. A study on the Duration of Untreated Illness (DUI) in a sample of patients with diagnosis of "non-affective psychotic disorders"

• Published in: Clinica terapeutica Vol. 162; no. 1; p. 11
• Main Authors: Bensi, M, Armando, M, Censi, V, Aiello, D, Fortes Lindau, J, Cavaggioni, G, Birchwood, M, Fiori Nastro, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Italian
• Published: Italy 2011
• Subjects: Adult; Age of Onset; Anxiety - epidemiology; Behavioral Symptoms - epidemiology; Depression - epidemiology; Early Diagnosis; Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology; Female; Hospitals, Psychiatric; Humans; Inpatients - psychology; Institutionalization - statistics & numerical data; Male; Middle Aged; Obsessive Behavior - epidemiology; Psychotic Disorders - diagnosis; Retrospective Studies; Rome - epidemiology; Social Isolation; Time Factors; Young Adult; Rome
• ISSN: 1972-6007

The aims of the study are to evaluate, in the Italian context, the presence and clinical features of early prodromal symptoms before the psychotic onset and, most of all, the duration of the period between the first onset of any psychiatric symptom and the psychotic onset (Duration of Untreated Illness).
The study was carried out on a sample of 296 inpatients with a diagnosis of "non-affective psychosis" enrolled in "Villa dei Fiori" inpatients Clinic in Rome. The retrospective analysis was developed using clinical records and clinical interview with patients and their parents. The evaluation of the psychotic onset and of DUI was assessed with the PANSS (Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale).
The mean DUI is 4.7 ± 4.4 years. We found a connection between DUI and early symptoms of psycosis: depressive symptoms (4.9; DS=5.0) were most frequently observed, followed by anxiety symptoms (5.1; DS=4.8), eating disorders (5.7; DS=3.0); obsessive symptoms (4.5; DS=3.6); social withdrawal (5.9; DS=4.9); psychotic like symptoms (2.6; DS=1.3). DUI resulted lower in psychotic like symptoms than in the depressive ones.
In Italy DUI turn out to be much longer than in other Country where do exists specialized services for early intervention. For this reason seem to be necessary to explore the opportunity to develop also in Italy specialized services for adolescents and young adults at risk and at their psychotic onset.