Remission of severely impaired subjective wellbeing in 727 patients with schizophrenia treated with amisulpride.
Studies of subjective wellbeing (SW) in schizophrenia have missed to define and to assess rate and predictors of SW response (SW-res) and SW remission (SW-rem).


METHODS
A total of 727 patients with schizophrenia and severely impaired SW at entry (Subjective Wellbeing under Neuroleptics Scale, short version, SWN-K, total score < or =60) were treated with amisulpride over 12 weeks. SW-res was defined as SWN total score increase of at least 20% and by at least 10 points and SW-rem as total score of > or =80 points.


RESULTS
Seventy percent fulfilled the SW-res criterion at week 4. At week 4 and week 12 (endpoint), the SW response criterion distinguished between patients with or without later SW remission and overall symptomatic and functional response. While 39% fulfilled the SW-rem criterion at endpoint, only 9.1% without early SW-res were in SW-rem at follow-up. Regression analyses indicated that SW-res was mainly predicted by greater severity of positive symptoms at baseline and SW-rem by lower severity of negative symptoms and better social functioning, and particularly by early SW-res.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with a risk of SW non-remission need to be identified early with subsequent treatment adaptation according to recommendations for incomplete remission and treatment resistance in schizophrenia.
Lambert
M
M
Psychosis Early Detection and Intervention Centre (PEDIC), Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. lambert@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Naber
D
D
Eich
F X
FX
Schacht
M
M
Linden
M
M
Schimmelmann
B G
BG
D000328:Adult; D000077582:Amisulpride; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012074:Remission Induction; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013469:Sulpiride / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D013469:Sulpiride; D000077582:Amisulpride