Status of first-episode psychosis patients presenting for routine care in a defined catchment area.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the clinical and behavioural status of all first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients admitted to hospital within a defined catchment area.


METHODS
We used a structured format to review clinical records of all first admissions to hospitals from a catchment area (population 390 000) with diagnosis of a first episode of nonaffective psychosis over a 3-year period.


RESULTS
Patients were somewhat older than usually reported for FEP (mean age 31.3 years). They were mostly male (63.7%), single (80.8%), unemployed (87.4%), with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum psychoses (85%), and had spent a mean of 31 days in an open inpatient unit and 2.93 days in an intensive care psychiatric unit during their first admission. Most (60.3%) were admitted involuntarily; 34.2% had a history of legal involvement; 18.8% had attempted suicide prior to admission; 31.5% had demonstrated violence toward people, property, or animals; 14.4% had suffered injuries; and 15.9% had shown aggressive behaviour during the hospital admission.


CONCLUSIONS
These results identify some of the potential needs of FEP patients, toward whom early intervention services should be directed.
Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC.
Jennifer
J
Payne
Ashok
A
Malla
Ross
R
Norman
Deborah
D
Windell
Brown
B
Nicole
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009864:Ontario; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data