Q2: In individuals with psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia), is the use of two or more antipsychotic medications concurrently more effective and safer than the use of one antipsychotic only?
Q1: In individuals with psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia), are antipsychotic drugs safe and effective?
Q6: In individuals with psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia) who require long term antipsychotic treatment, are anticholinergic medications more effective in preventing or reducing extrapyramidal side-effects and/or improving treatment adherence than placebo/treatment as usual?
Other disorders
Chapter H.5
Evidence-based recommendations for management of psychosis and bipolar disorders in non-specialized health settings
Q4: In individuals with long term and/or recurrent psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia), should individuals be maintained on pharmacotherapy indefinitely or withdrawn from treatment in order to allow for the best outcomes?
Background: Evidence based treatment interventions for young people with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and trauma histories is lacking. Although case formulation (CF) has been widely regarded in cognitive behavioural therapy manuals as beneficial, there is limited empirical research examining how cl...ients and therapists experience the process. Aim: This study aimed to explore young people’s reactions to CF in treatment for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and FEP
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Q15. SCOPING QUESTION: Is pharmacological intervention effective and safe for treatment of psychotic disorders in adolescents (including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder)?
Q14. SCOPING QUESTION: In adults with psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia), what is the comparative effectiveness and safety of second-generation antipsychotic medications?
The manual contains basic principles of prescribing followed by chapters on medicines used in psychotic disorders; depressive disorders; bipolar disorders; generalised anxiety and sleep disorders; obsessive-compulsive disorders and panic attacks; and alcohol and opioid dependence
This block contains a wide variety of disorders that differ in severity (from uncomplicated intoxication and harmful use to obvious psychotic disorders and dementia), but that are all attributable to the use of one or more psychoactive substances (which may or may not have been medically prescribed)
The global burden of disease due to mental disorders continues to rise, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). In addition to causing a large proportion of morbidity, mental disorders – especially severe mental disorders (SMD) – are linked with poorer health outcomes and increase...d mortality. SMD are defined as a group of conditions that include moderate to severe depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. People with SMD have a two to three times higher average mortality compared to the general population, which translates to a 10-20 year reduction in life expectancy. While people with SMD do have higher rates of death due to unnatural causes (accidents, homicide, or suicide) than the general population, the
majority of deaths amongst people with SMD are attributable to physical health conditions, both
non-communicable and communicable.
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Q10: In individuals with psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia) and bipolar disorders are psychoeducation, family interventions and cognitive-behavioural therapy feasible and effective?
Q5.SCOPING QUESTION: In individuals with psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia) who require long-term antipsychotic treatment, what is the safety and role of depot antipsychotic medication?
Q11. SCOPING QUESTIONS: In people with psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) are recovery-oriented psychosocial strategies enhancing independent living and social skills (such as life skills and social skills training) feasible and effective?
Q12. SCOPING QUESTION: In people with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are recovery-oriented strategies enhancing vocational and economic inclusion (such as supported employment) feasible and effective?
Health Evidence Network Synthesis Report, No. 47
The increasing number of refugees, asylum seekers and irregular migrants poses a challenge for mental health services in Europe. This review found that these groups are exposed to risk factors for mental disorders before, during and after migration. ...The prevalence rates of psychotic, mood and substance use disorders in these groups are variable but overall are similar to those in the host populations; however, the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder in refugees and asylum seekers are higher.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as ‘a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community’. Mental illn...ess refers to all of the diagnosable mental disorders, which are characterised by abnormalities in thinking, feelings or behaviours. Mental illness is closely related to vulnerability, both in its causes and in its effects. Globally, 14 per cent of the global burden of disease is attributed to mental illness – with 75 per cent of those affected being found in low-income countries – which includes a broad spectrum of diagnoses, from common mental illnesses such as anxiety and
substance abuse, to severe illnesses like psychosis.
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Q8. SCOPING QUESTION: In people with bipolar disorders who require maintenance treatment, are a) antipsychotics or b) mood stabilizers (lithium, valproate or carbamazepine) effective and safe?