Measures of Functional Status and Quality-of-Life in Schizophrenia

Authors: Price, Mark A.; Hill, Cheryl D.; Williams, Valerie S.L.; Morlock, Robert J.; Leeuwenkamp, Oscar; Patterson, Thomas L.

Source: Current Psychiatry Reviews, Volume 4, Number 1, February 2008 , pp. 28-38(11)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

Pharmacotherapy has been reasonably effective in treating positive symptoms associated with schizophrenia and less effective in treating negative symptoms. Humanistic outcomes - quality of life and functionality - are more difficult to assess than changes in symptom severity and are equally important in assessing the overall effectiveness of treatment. The correlation between negative symptoms and poorer outcomes in patients with schizophrenia underscores the need for more effective treatment, and a large number of instruments have been devised to provide quantitative assessment of the humanistic outcomes associated with the treatment of schizophrenia. Some were developed specifically for schizophrenia, and others were originally developed for other clinical conditions but later adapted for schizophrenia. The value of such instruments depends on their intrinsic validity, selection criteria, and how the selected instrument is used by physicians and other clinical professionals. This review is aimed at increasing clinicians' awareness of these instruments and improving their ability to use them appropriately as an adjunct to sound clinical judgment. We provide an overview of the issues pertinent to the use of rating instruments for quality of life and functionality, and based on a literature search, we provide a brief description of the 20 instruments most commonly used to assess these humanistic outcomes in patients with schizophrenia. Each instrument is discussed in terms of content and organization, formal validation, and use in patients with schizophrenia. An accompanying table reveals the domains relating to quality of life and functionality addressed by each instrument.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157340008783743839

Publication date: 2008-02-01

More about this publication?

• Current Psychiatry Reviews publishes frontier reviews on all the latest advances on clinical psychiatry and its related areas e.g. pharmacology, epidemiology, clinical care, and therapy. The journal's aim is to publish the highest quality review articles dedicated to clinical research in the field. The journal is essential reading for all clinicians, psychiatrists and researchers in psychiatry.

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• In this Subject: Neurology & Psychiatry ,  Psychology/Psychiatry
• By this author: Price, Mark A. ;  Hill, Cheryl D. ;  Williams, Valerie S.L. ;  Morlock, Robert J. ;  Leeuwenkamp, Oscar ;  Patterson, Thomas L.

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