Predictors of severity in patients with first episode psychosis: A cross sectional study

BACKGROUND -: Psychoses is a group of disorder comprising of schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders,mood disorders etc. There are lot of prejudiced beliefs and stigmata regarding mental illness which are still prevalen,leads to patients not seeking mental health care at appropriate time and prolonging duration of untreated illness,increasing severity at the time of presentation Aim - 1. To study relationship between age of onset with severity of illness; 2. To study the correlation between duration of untreated illness with severity of illness. 3. To study correlation between pre morbid functioning with severity of illness. 4. To analyse these three correlations and to ascertain inter relationship amongst these factors of severity of psychosis. METHODOLOGY -: A semi-structured proforma will be applied for recording the socio-demographic details and relevant medical history. • Age of onset: taken as age in completed years; first time when patient’s family member or any other person noticed change in his/her behaviour. • Duration of untreated illness: time period from first time someone noticed behavioural change to initiation of psychiatric treatment. • Premorbid functioning assessed using Cannon-Spoor Premorbid adjustment scale; •Clinical features of psychosis assessed using Brief psychiatric rating scale; • Severity of illness assessed using Clinician rated dimensions of psychosis symptom severity. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS-: statistical analysis is under process