title: Access and latency to first antipsychotic treatment in Italian patients with schizophrenia and other schizophrenic spectrum disorders across different epochs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The duration of untreated illness (DUI) is a measure to express the latency to first psychopharmacological treatment: it differs among psychiatric disorders, being influenced by several illness-intrinsic and environmental factors. The present study aimed to assess differences in DUI and related variables in patients with schizophrenia (SKZ) versus other schizophrenic spectrum disorders (SSDs) across different epochs.
  
  
  METHODS
  101 SKZ or SSD patients were assessed with respect to DUI and related variables through clinical interview and questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with SKZ showed earlier ages of onset, first diagnosis and first antipsychotic treatment compared with patients with other SSDs (F = 11.02, p < 0.001; F = 12.68, p < 0.001; F = 13.74, p < 0.001, respectively) who showed an earlier access to benzodiazepines than SKZ patients (F = 6.547; p < 0.05). Dividing the total sample by the epoch of onset (before 1978; between 1978-2000; after 2000) showed a significantly later age of onset in patients with onset within the two most recent epochs (F = 7.46; p < 0.001) and a reduced DUI across epochs (from 144 to 41 to 20 months, on average; F = 11.78, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Schizophrenic patients showed earlier onset and longer DUI compared with patients with other SSDs. Data on the total sample showed a later age of onset and a reduced DUI across epochs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Carlotta
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Palazzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arici
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.|Bipolar Disorders Clinic, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cremaschi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grancini
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Camuri
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Benatti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oldani
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dobrea
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Alfredo Carlo
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Altamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D061665:Time-to-Treatment / Q000639:trends*
keywords: duration of untreated illness (DUI); epochs of onset; schizophrenia (SKZ); schizophrenic spectrum disorders (SSDs)