Driving skills in unmedicated first- and recurrent-episode schizophrenic patients.
The present study was designed to examine driving skills according to regulations of the German guidelines for road and traffic safety in unmedicated schizophrenic inpatients. A total of 13 first-episode (FES) and 13 recurrent-episode (RES) schizophrenic inpatients were included in the analysis and compared with a group of 20 healthy controls (HC). Data were collected with the computerised Wiener Testsystem measuring visual perception, reactivity and stress tolerance, concentration and vigilance. Analysis of data indicates that a great proportion (58 %) of schizophrenic patients were impaired in psychomotor functions related to driving skills. FES and RES significantly differed with respect to driving ability with a greater proportion in the FES (38 %) showing severe impairments when compared with RES (25 %). Differences with respect to HC performance were most pronounced in concentration and for the FES additionally in visual perception. Analysis of our data indicates that a great proportion of schizophrenic patients are impaired in psychomotor functions related to driving skills that cannot be attributed to adverse side effects of psychopharmacological treatment. Besides, we cannot confirm a chronical decline of psychomotor functions related to driving skills at least in the early course of schizophrenic illness.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. Felix.Segmiller@med.uni-muenchen.de.
Felix M
FM
Segmiller
Department of Neuropsychology, Psychiatric Clinic, kbo Inn-Salzach-Klinikum, 83512, Wasserburg/Inn, Germany.
Verena
V
Buschert
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.|Institute for Psychological Medicine (IPM), Haag i. OB, Germany.
Gerd
G
Laux
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
N
N
Nedopil
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
Ulrich
U
Palm
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
Katharina
K
Furjanic
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.|Department of Neuropsychology, Psychiatric Clinic, kbo Inn-Salzach-Klinikum, 83512, Wasserburg/Inn, Germany.
Peter
P
Zwanzger
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.|Department of Neuropsychology, Psychiatric Clinic, kbo Inn-Salzach-Klinikum, 83512, Wasserburg/Inn, Germany.|Institute for Psychological Medicine (IPM), Haag i. OB, Germany.
Alexander
A
Brunnauer
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001334:Automobile Driving; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult
Driving performance; First-episode schizophrenia; Recurrent-episode schizophrenia; Traffic safety