title: Characteristics of subjects with schizophrenia spectrum disorder with and without antipsychotic medication - a 10-year follow-up of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of non-medicated subjects having schizophrenia spectrum disorder and to study how they differ from medicated subjects in terms of sociodemographic and illness-related variables. We also aim to find the predictors for successful antipsychotic withdrawal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 70 subjects with schizophrenic psychoses (mean duration of illness 10.4 years) from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort were gathered by interview at the age of 34 and from hospital records. The stability of remission was assessed by comparing hospitalization rates between non-medicated and medicated subjects over an 8.7-year additional follow-up period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-four (34%) subjects were currently not receiving medication. They were more often males, less often on a disability pension, more often in remission, and had better clinical outcomes. Relapses during the follow-up were equally frequent between non-medicated and medicated subjects (47% vs. 56%). Not having been hospitalised during previous 5 years before the interview predicted long-term successful antipsychotic withdrawal without relapse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite a lack of precise predictors, there might be subgroup of schizophrenia spectrum subjects who do not need permanent antipsychotic medication, and a fewer previous psychiatric treatments may indicate such a subgroup.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, P.O. BOX 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland. moiljani@paju.oulu.fi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moilanen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haapea
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miettunen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jääskeläinen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Veijola
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isohanni
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koponen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012008:Recurrence; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents