Worsening of Psychotic Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia after Switching to or Combining Aripiprazole and Aripiprazole Monthly (Abilify Maintena) / 신경정신의학

Objectives@#Aripiprazole is an antipsychotic that functions as a partial agonist in hypodopaminergic states and a dopamine antagonist in hyperdopaminergic states. @*Methods@#This paper reports a series of five clinical cases of worsening psychotic symptoms in schizophrenic patients related to the initiation of aripiprazole, oral and injection, as combination therapy. @*Results@#In all five cases, the switching of aripiprazole improved the psychotic symptoms. @*Conclusion@#Even with the suggestive relationship between aripiprazole therapy and the worsening of psychotic symptoms, further research is needed.

Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Relation to Duration of Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychopathological features such as depression and anxiety in schizophrenics with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) as well as the severity of OCS according to duration of schizophrenia. METHODS: We randomly selected sixty four inpatients with schizophrenia. We classified the patients into two groups (OCS group, non-OCS group) according to the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Clinical and demographic features were evaluated. To assess OCS, Y-BOCS were performed. The Korean version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(K-PANSS), the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Korean version of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (K-CDSS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) were conducted. Independent t-test and chi-square test were conducted to compare the two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the duration of schizophrenia and the Y-BOCS score. RESULTS: The Y-BOCS, K-CDSS, and BAI scores were higher in the OCS group. There was a significant correlation between the duration of schizophrenia and the Y-BOCS score. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety and depression symptoms were severe in the OCS group. In addition, the results of this study indicate that the longer duration of schizophrenia, the more severe the OCS. Therefore, the evaluation of OCS in schizophrenics should be accompanied by treatment intervention.