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CLINICAL SYNTHESIS
Published Online: 1 January 2004

Quick Reference for Schizophrenia

Table 1. Features Associated With Good and Poor Outcome in Schizophrenia
FeatureGood OutcomePoor Outcome
AgeOlderYounger
GenderFemaleMale
Social classHighLow
Marital historyMarriedNever married
Family history of schizophreniaNegativePositive
Perinatal complicationsAbsentPresent
Transcultural factorsDeveloping nationsIndustrialized nations
Premorbid functioningGoodPoor
OnsetAcuteInsidious
DurationShortChronic
SensoriumCloudedClear
Symptoms/subtypesParanoid subtypeDeficit syndrome
Affective symptomsPresentAbsent
Neurological functioningNormalSoft signs present
NeurocognitionNormalAbnormal
Structural brain abnormalitiesNonePresent

Reprinted with permission from Ho B, Black DW, Andreasen NC: Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, in The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, 4th ed. Edited by Hales RE, Yudofsky SC. Arlington, Va, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2003, p 400.

Table 2. Reasons to Hospitalize Patients With Schizophrenia
When the illness is new, to rule out alternative diagnoses and to stabilize the dose of antipsychotic medication
For special medical procedures such as electroconvulsive therapy
When aggressive or assaultive behavior presents a danger to the patient or others
When the patient becomes suicidal
When the patient is unable to properly care for himself or herself (e.g., refuses to eat or take fluids)
When medication side effects become disabling or potentially life threatening (e.g., severe pseudoparkinsonism, severe tardive dyskinesia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome)

Reprinted with permission from Ho B, Black DW, Andreasen NC: Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, in The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, 4th ed. Edited by Hales RE, Yudofsky SC. Arlington, Va, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2003, p 418.

Table 3. Atypical (Dopamine-Serotonin Antagonist) Antipsychotics: Overview
Efficacy
    Schizophrenia (FDA approved for all)
    Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (clozapine)
    Mania (FDA approved for olanzapine)
    Depression/anxiety/agitation (efficacy established but not FDA approved for these purposes)
Side effects
    Weight gain
    Sedation
    Akathisia
    Orthostatic hypotension
    Dizziness
     Triglycerides
    EPS, NMS (rare)
    Agranulocytosis (clozapine) (rare)
    Seizures (clozapine)
Safety in overdose
    Seizures with clozapine in overdose. Respiratory depression in combination with other CNS depressants. QT interval changes. Lavage and vital sign support
Dosage and administration
    Clozapine: 12.5–25 mg; then increase dosage 25–50 mg per week, as needed and tolerated, to 300–600 mg/day
    Risperidone: 0.5–1 mg b.i.d. to 3 mg b.i.d. by end of first week, as tolerated
    Olanzapine: 2.5–5 mg h.s.; increase by 5 mg every week to 20 mg h.s.
    Quetiapine: 25 mg b.i.d.; increase total daily dose by 50 mg, as needed and tolerated, to 300–600 mg/day
    Ziprasidone: 20 mg/day or b.i.d.; increase by 20–40 mg per week, to a maximum dosage of 80 mg b.i.d.
    Aripiprazole: 15 mg/day; increase up to 30 mg/day after 1 week
Full benefits in 4 weeks to 6 months
Discontinuation
    Mild cholinergic rebound, faster relapse
    Taper as slowly as titrated up
Drug interactions
    Fluvoxamine (1A2 inhibitors): atypical antipsychotic levels
    EtOH: sedation and orthostasis
    Antihypertensives: may orthostasis
    Carbamazepine: serum levels of olanzapine; contraindicated with clozapine
    CNS depressants: sedation

CNS = central nervous system; EPS = extrapyramidal symptoms; EtOH = ethanol; FDA = U.S. Food and Drug Administration; NMS = neuroleptic malignant syndrome

Reprinted with permission from Schatzberg AF, Cole J, DeBattista C: Antipsychotic drugs, in Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 4th ed. Arlington, Va, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2003, pp 188–189.

Table 4. Typical Antipsychotics: Metabolism and Enzyme Inhibition
Table 5. Atypical Antipsychotics: Metabolism and Enzyme Inhibition
DrugMajor Metabolism Site(s)Enzyme(s) Inhibited
Aripiprazole2D6, 3A4None known
Clozapine1A2, 3A4, 2D6, 2C19, UGT1A4, UGT1A32D6a
Olanzapine1A2, 2D6, UGT1A4, ?other UGTs, ?FMO3None known
Quetiapine3A4, sulfationNone known
Risperidone2D6, 3A42D6b
ZiprasidoneAldehyde oxidase, 3A4, 1A2None known

Note: Data presented relate to parent drug and metabolites combined. FMO3 = flavin monooxygenase; UGT = uridine 5’-diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase

a Mild

b Moderate

Modified and reprinted with permission from Cozza KL, Armstrong SC, Oesterheld JR: Psychiatry, in Concise Guide to Drug Interaction, 2nd ed. Arlington, Va, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2003, p 361.

Table 6. Summary of Sex Differences in Schizophrenia
Women experience more mood symptoms
Men experience more deficit symptoms
Women present as more socially appropriate
Delusional themes differ between the two sexes
Men engage in more substance abuse
Women have more comorbid problems (allergies, endocrine disturbances, eating disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, psychophysiological disorders)

Reprinted with permission from Seeman MV: Gender differences in schizophrenia across the life span, in Schizophrenia Into Later Life: Treatment, Research, and Policy. Edited by Cohen CI. Arlington, Va, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2003, p 143.

Table 7. Differentiating Chronic Schizophrenia from Alzheimer’s Disease With Psychotic Symptoms
SymptomsAlzheimer’s DiseaseSchizophrenia
Delusions
    Someone stealing+++++
    Thought control+/−++/+++
Hallucinations
    Auditory+/++++/+++
    Visual++/++++
Cognitive impairment
    Short-term memory loss++++
    Word-finding difficulties++/+++−/+
    Disorientation++−/+
Mini-Mental State ExaminationGradual declineMore or lesss constant
Family historyAlzheimer’s diseaseMajor mental disorder
CourseProgressive declineVariable
Typical social situationMarried, widowed, divorced, not socially isolatedSingle, socially isolated

+/− = may or may not be present; + = may be present; ++ = often present; +++ = present in most

Reprinted with permission from Desai AK, Grossberg GT: Differential diagnosis of psychotic disorders in the elderly, in Schizophrenia Into Later Life: Treatment, Research, and Policy. Edited by Cohen CI. Arlington, Va, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2003, p 61.

Table 8. Selected Side Effects of Commonly Used Antipsychotic Medications
 Extrapyramidal Side Effects/Tardive DyskinesiaProlactin ElevationWeight GainGlucose AbnormalitiesLipid AbnormalitiesQTc ProlongationSedationHypotensionAnticholinergic Side Effects
Thioridazine+++++?+?+++++++++
Perphenazine++++++?+?0++0
Haloperidol++++++0000++00
Clozapinea0b0+++++++++0+++++++++
Risperidone+++++++++++++0
Olanzapine0b0+++++++++0++++
Quetiapinec0b0++++++0++++0
Ziprasidone0b+000++000
Aripriprazoled0b00000+00

0 = no risk or rarely causes side effects at therapeutic dose; + = mild or occasionally causes side effects at therapeutic dose; ++ = sometimes causes side effects at therapeutic dose; +++ = frequently causes side effects at therapeutic dose

a Also causes agranulocytosis, seizures, and myocarditis

b Possible exception of akathisia

c Also carries warning about potential development of cataracts

d Also causes nausea and headache

Reprinted with permission from American Psychiatric Association: Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Schizophrenia, Second Edition. Arlington, Va, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2004, in press.

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