New risk calculator can evaluate the risk of developing a psychosis of the individual -
A new risk calculator can predict the risk of developing psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia of an individual, according to a new study published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry . The research involved collaborators from nine sites, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and may help researchers test treatments to prevent the onset of full psychosis.
Psychosis is characterized by hallucinations and delusions. The new calculator assesses the risk of developing a psychosis after experiencing early warning signs of schizophrenia, such as hearing voices of an individual
"Until now, clinicians may give patients only a rough estimate of how their condition may progress. - What about 15 to 25 percent of people who experienced early warning symptoms will be to develop a more serious condition, "said Larry J. Seidman, PhD. D., a psychologist at BIDMC and Professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. "With this new risk calculator, clinicians can now give patients an individual risk assessment. More specific information allows people to have a more realistic sense of what is happening, which can reduce anxiety. "
In more stressful life events, trauma and family history of . and schizophrenia, the calculator takes into account five factors to determine the risk level of an individual These factors include: age of onset, levels of unusual thought content and suspicious; social functioning; powers verbal learning. and mental processing speed
Seidman and her colleagues analyzed data from interviews with 596 subjects, aged 12 to 35 who were diagnosed with attenuated Psychosis syndrome, a condition in which patients may experience hallucinations and / or develop unusual thoughts but acknowledge their perceptions are not based in reality.
the research team, led by Tyrone Cannon of Yale University, PhD, then developed the risk calculator that analyzes risk factors for schizophrenia. After following with the subjects every six months, the researchers found that 16 percent of patients diagnosed with Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome had converted to psychosis within two years.
The symptoms of unusual thought content and suspicion have contributed most at risk of developing psychosis. A decline in social functioning, less verbal learning and slower processing speed were also important factors. People who were younger (in their teens or early twenties) when their symptoms began, also have an increased risk. Stressful life events, trauma and family history of schizophrenia found to have a lower impact on the risk profile of an individual
"The risk calculator does not account processing or other potentially favorable environmental factors that can reduce the risk. this is a direction for future research, "said Seidman, adding that the power of the computer lies in the development perspective of the symptoms for patients and their families. "Having hallucinations, he is, does not add much weight at all predictive Maybe that person has good cognitive function and has not decreased socially - .. This profile would lead to a good score of treatment can result, potentially with less fear. "
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