title: Treatment costs and clinical outcome for first episode schizophrenia patients: a 3-year follow-up of the Swedish "Parachute Project" and two comparison groups.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate "need-specific treatment" of first episode schizophrenia syndrome patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one consecutive first episode schizophrenia syndrome patients were followed over 3 years. They were compared with a Historical "treatment as usual" group (n = 41) and a Prospective group from a high quality social and biological psychiatry centre (n = 25).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Symptomatic and functional outcome was significantly better compared with the Historical group and equal with the Prospective group. During the first year, the direct costs for in- and out-patient care per patient in the Parachute project were less than half of those in the Prospective group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study confirms the feasibility, clinically and economically, with a large scale application of "need-specific treatments" for first episode psychotic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, R & D Section, Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cullberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mattsson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levander
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holmqvist
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tomsmark
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Elingfors
authors.forename: I-M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Wieselgren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017050:Episode of Care; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors