Schizophrenia assessing

Goldstein JM, Seidman LJ, O Brien LM, Horton NJ, Kennedy DN, et al. 2002. Impact of normal sexual dimorphisms on sex differences in structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. Arch Gen Psychiatry 59(2) 154-164. 

Reyes JF, Preskom SH, Khan A, Kumar D, Cullen El, Perdomo CA, Pratt RD. Concurrent administration of donepezii HCl and risperidone in patients with schizophrenia assessment of pharmacokinetic changes and safety following multiple oral doses. Br J Clin Pharmacol (2004) 58, 50-7. 

Physical assessments include obtaining blood pressure measurements on both arms with the patient in a sitting position, pulse, respiratory rate, and weight. The hospitalized patient may ultimately be discharged from the psychiatric setting. Some patients, such as those with mild schizophrenia, do not require inpatient care. The nurse usually sees these patients at periodic intervals in the psychiatric outpatient setting. 

Davies LM, Drummond MF (1993). Assessment of costs and benefits of drug therapy for treatment-resistant schizophrenia in the United Kingdom. Br JPsychiatry 162, 38-42. 

Sacristdn JA, G6mez JC, Martin J, et al (1998). Pharmacoeconomic assessment of olanzapine in rhe treatment of refractory schizophrenia based on a pilot clinical study. Clin Drug Invest 29—35. 

Rimonabant (382) was also included in a clinical study to assess the safety and efficacy of four novel compounds for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychoaffective disorder [378]. The other compounds included in the trial were a neurokinin NK3 antagonist, a serotonin 2A/2C antagonist and a neurotensin NTSl antagonist. Halopeiidol and placebo groups were used as controls in the study. Sixty-nine patients received (382) (20 mg once per day), which failed to demonstrate efficacy in this trial. The reasons for the lack of efficacy may be due to inadequate dosing or an indication that CBi antagonism is not appropriate in the treatment of this condition. 

Patients presenting with odd behaviors, illogical thought processes, bizarre beliefs, and hallucinations should be assessed for schizophrenia. 

A diagnosis of schizophrenia is made clinically, as there are no psychological assessments, brain imaging, or laboratory examinations that confirm the diagnosis. 

Another way that professionals assess for psychiatric disorders is to use an inventory that assesses for personality characteristics. The most famous of these inventories is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), which is now in its second edition as an instrument. Although the MMPI is actually a personality inventory, as it names suggests, many professionals will use it to spot suspected psychiatric disorders, such as depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Anxiety Disorder. The MMPI has several scales to assess common personality traits, such as depression, mania, psychopathic deviance, and even alcohol and drug use (Weed, Butcher, McKenna, Ben-Porath, 1992). 

Koro CE, Fedder DO, L ltaUen GJ, et al. Assessment of independent effect olanzapine and risperidone on risk of diabetes among patients with schizophrenia population based nested case-control study. BMJ 2003 326 283. 

Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children, Epidemiologic version (K-SADS-E) (Orvaschel and Puig-Antich, 1987) Semistructured diagnostic interview designed to assess past and current DSM-III and DSM-III-R disorders Parent Child 6-17... 

The most commonly used instruments are listed in table 41.2 and can be subdivided into two groups first, semi-structured interviews such as the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders, and Schizophrenia, Epidemiologic version (K-SADS-E), the Interview for Childhood Disorders and Schizophrenia (ICDS) and the Children and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment (CAPA). These... 

Efficacy in short-term treatment. From studies in adult schizophrenia, it is evident that clozapine treatment has at least the same or superior antipsychotic effect, compared to typical antipsychotics. In some studies, clozapine was superior with regard to symptom reduction in severe and acute schizophrenic patients. As the guidelines do not allow the use of clozapine as a first-choice drug, most patients have been treated before with at least two atypical or typical antipsychotics. Only one controlled trial has assessed the efficacy of clozapine in child and adolescent psychiatry. In this study (Kumra et ah, 1996), clozapine was found to be superior to haloperidol in all measures of psychosis, and showed a striking superiority for both positive and negative symptoms. 

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2000) Summary of the practice parameters for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with schizophrenia. / Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39 1580-1582. 

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