Treatment costs and clinical outcome for first episode schizophrenia patients: a 3-year follow-up of the Swedish "Parachute Project" and two comparison groups.
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.
Cullberg
J
J
Department of Psychiatry, R & D Section, Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm.
Mattsson
M
M
Levander
S
S
Holmqvist
R
R
Tomsmark
L
L
Elingfors
C
C
Wieselgren
I-M
IM
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