Patients with severe schizophrenia. functioning improvement after 7-year of comprehensive treatment

Introduction To reach not only clinical but also rehabilitation (especially to improve psychosocial functioning) goals in people with schizophrenia is a need. Objective To know the retention in treatment and functional outcomes of patients with severe schizophrenia enrolled in a specific and comprehensive programme for 7 years. Method A 7-year prospective, observational study of patients with severe schizophrenia (CGI-S of 5 or over) undergoing comprehensive programme ( n  = 200). Assessment included at the beginning and after 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 84 months: the CGI-S, the Camberwell Assessment of Needs (CAN) and the WHO-DAS. Time in treatment, reasons for discharge, laboratory tests, weight, medications, adverse effects and hospital admissions in the previous six years and during the follow-up were registered. Results CGI at baseline was 5.9 (0.7). After seven years, 44% of patients continued under treatment (CGI = 4.3 (0.8); P P P P P Conclusion Retention of patients with schizophrenia with severe symptoms and impairment in a specific and comprehensive programme was really high. Such good treatment adherence helped to get remarkable clinical and functional improvement. Long-acting medication seemed to be useful in improving treatment adherence.