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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 May;41(3):617-26.
doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbu155. Epub 2014 Nov 7.

Ten-year follow-up of the OPUS specialized early intervention trial for patients with a first episode of psychosis

Rikke Gry Secher  1 , Carsten Rygaard Hjorthøj  2 , Stephen F Austin  3 , Anne Thorup  4 , Pia Jeppesen  5 , Ole Mors  6 , Merete Nordentoft  4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Ten-year follow-up of the OPUS specialized early intervention trial for patients with a first episode of psychosis

Rikke Gry Secher et al. Schizophr Bull. 2015 May.

Abstract

Introduction: Specialized early intervention programs such as The Danish OPUS treatment are efficient in treating patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) at least after 2 and 5 years. Few studies have examined long-term outcomes of these interventions.

Aim: To examine the effect of 2 years of OPUS vs treatment as usual (TAU) within an FEP cohort, 10 years after inclusion into the OPUS trial.

Methods: From 1998 to 2000, participants were randomized to OPUS or TAU. Ten years later, we conducted comprehensive interviews and performed register-based follow-up on all participants in national Danish registers. We analyzed participants according to the intention-to-treat principle.

Results: Of the 547 participants included in the study, 347 (63.4%) took part in this follow-up. While there was evidence of a differential 10-year course in the development of negative symptoms, psychiatric bed days, and possibly psychotic symptoms in favor of OPUS treatment, differences were driven by effects at earlier follow-ups and had diminished over time. Statistically significant differences in the course of use of supported housing were present even after 8-10 years. There were no differences between OPUS and TAU regarding income, work-related outcomes, or marital status.

Conclusion: Most of the positive short-term effects of the OPUS intervention had diminished or vanished at this long-term follow-up. We observed a clear tendency that OPUS treatment leads to fewer days in supported housing. There is a need for further studies investigating if extending the intervention will improve outcomes more markedly at long-term follow-ups.

Keywords: early intervention; long-term outcomes; randomized trial; schizophrenia.

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Figures

Fig. 1 .
Fig. 1 .
Flow of participants in the OPUS trial from inclusion through the 10-y follow-up.
Fig. 2 .
Fig. 2 .
Development of symptom scores and level of functioning of recipients of OPUS and treatment as usual from inclusion and 10 y forward.
Fig. 3 .
Fig. 3 .
Use of supported housing in recipients of OPUS and treatment as usual from inclusion and 10 y forward.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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