Characteristics of a child and adolescent sample at risk for psychosis: Baseline predictors of transition
Montserrat Dolz1, Jordina Tor1, Marta Pardo1, Daniel Muñoz1, Marta Rodriguez1, Javier Álvarez1, Marta Espadas1, Elena De la Serna2, Gisela Sugranyes Emest2, Inmaculada Baeza2; 1Hospital Sant Joan de Déu de Barcelona, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Department Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain, 2Hospital Clínic, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
INTRODUCTION: In the last years several data has been collected in the field of high risk for developing psychosis. Preliminary data show that the adolescent population could have different pattern of presentation and conversion that the adult ones. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determinate transition rates of conversion to psychosis on an adolescent sample at risk to psychosis, and study baseline clinical differences that can predict the transition to psychosis. METHOD: Data were collected from an on-going prospective, naturalistic and multisite study from Hospital Clinic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (Barcelona). Help-seeking child and adolescent (10-17 years) were recruited. Inclusion criteria: 1) Attenuated positive or negative symptoms in the previous 12 months 2) Brief limited intermittent psychotic symptoms 3) First or second degree relative with schizophrenia or schizotypical disorder plus impairment of functioning. Prodromal symptoms, functioning, depressive and mania symptoms were assessed. RESULTS: 95 patients were recruited (mean age 15,15±1,71), 56 were girls (58,9%) and 39 were boys (41,1%). Of the total sample, 15 patients (15,8%) had converted to a fully psychotic disorder. The psychosis risk syndrome group who had converted show significantly higher scores at baseline in total attenuate positive symptoms (p=0,050), specifically in delusional ideas (p=0,044). In general symptoms (p=0,032) were significant differences too. CONCLUSION: Child and Adolescent population show lower transition rates at 18 months than young-adult samples. Results suggest that patients who convert to a fully psychotic disorder present higher positive attenuated symptoms, as delusional ideas, than patients who did not convert.
Topic Area: First Episode Psychosis