title: Psychotic experiences in the population: Association with functioning and mental distress.
abstract: Psychotic experiences are far more common in the population than psychotic disorder. They are associated with a number of adverse outcomes but there has been little research on associations with functioning and distress. We wished to investigate functioning and distress in a community sample of adolescents with psychotic experiences. Two hundred and twelve school-going adolescents were assessed for psychotic experiences, mental distress associated with these experiences, global (social/occupational) functioning on the Children's Global Assessment Scale, and a number of candidate mediator variables, including psychopathology, suicidality, trauma (physical and sexual abuse and exposure to domestic violence) and neurocognitive functioning. Seventy five percent of participants who reported psychotic experiences reported that they found these experiences distressing (mean score for severity of distress was 6.9 out of maximum 10). Participants who reported psychotic experiences had poorer functioning than participants who did not report psychotic experiences (respective means: 68.6, 81.9; OR=0.25, 95% CI=0.14-0.44). Similarly, participants with an Axis-1 psychiatric disorder who reported psychotic experiences had poorer functioning than participants with a disorder who did not report psychotic experiences (respective means: 61.8, 74.5; OR=0.28, 95% CI=0.12-0.63). Candidate mediator variables explained some but not all of the relationship between psychotic experiences and functioning (OR=0.48, 95% CI=0.22-1.05, P<0.07). Young people with psychotic experiences have poorer global functioning than those who do not, even when compared with other young people with psychopathology (but who do not report psychotic experiences). A disclosure of psychotic experiences should alert treating clinicians that the individual may have significantly more functional disability than suggested by the psychopathological diagnosis alone.
authors: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dept Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland. Electronic address: iankelleher@rcsi.ie.
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: Kelleher
authors: University Medical Centre Groningen, Dept of Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors: Johanna T W
authors: JT
authors: Wigman
authors: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dept Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland; St Michael's House, Ballymun Road, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: Harley
authors: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dept Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors: Erik
authors: E
authors: O'Hanlon
authors: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dept Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors: Helen
authors: H
authors: Coughlan
authors: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dept Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland; University College Dublin, Dept Psychology, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors: Caroline
authors: C
authors: Rawdon
authors: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dept Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland; University of New South Wales, Research Unit for Schizophrenia Epidemiology, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Murphy
authors: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dept Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors: Emmet
authors: E
authors: Power
authors: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dept Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors: Niamh M
authors: NM
authors: Higgins
authors: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dept Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland; Beaumont Hospital, Dept Psychiatry, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Cannon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Distress; Global functioning; Psychosis; Psychotic experiences