Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed schizophrenia: A 4‐year single‐center experience in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: Understanding how local “psychiatry clinic” characteristics shape research findings is essential for applying research into evolution, outcomes, and costs of mental health. However, a paucity of “psychiatry clinics” details has implications for the interpretation and utilization of this research. METHODS: We reviewed data of 746 patients with new‐onset schizophrenia on antipsychotic monotherapy seen over four years in an “adult psychiatry clinic” at Jazan Health, Saudi Arabia. Protocol‐driven interviews and investigations were recorded prospectively and extracted from the medical records for the study. Summary statistics and logistic regression analyses were applied to assess patients' characteristics and outcomes. RESULTS: The median patient age was 32 (IQR 27‐39) years. Of patients, 589 (79.0%) were male, and 679 (91.0%) had a low‐level education. The median follow‐up duration was 51.4 (IQR 27.4‐96.3) weeks. The most used initial antipsychotic drugs were olanzapine (48.8%), haloperidol (13.9%), and aripiprazole (11.3%). The numbers of patients who retained the initial drug at 24 and 52 weeks were 539 (72.3%) and 325 (43.6%), respectively. The initial drug was changed in 246 (33.0%) patients. The median time to initial drug change was 43.9 (IQR 14.8‐85.0) weeks. The logistic regression demonstrated that male sex (P < 0.004), young adult age group (P < 0.027), predominant positive symptoms (P < 0.021), treatment with haloperidol (P < 0.024), and khat use (P < 0.006) were significant factors for drug change. CONCLUSIONS: This clinical records study demonstrated substantial individual variations in characteristics and in responding to initial antipsychotic medication. Insight into these findings will facilitate the planning for comprehensive research programs.