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Review
. 2015 Sep;207(3):198-206.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.157115.

Disorder, not just state of risk: meta-analysis of functioning and quality of life in people at high risk of psychosis

Affiliations
Review

Disorder, not just state of risk: meta-analysis of functioning and quality of life in people at high risk of psychosis

Paolo Fusar-Poli et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Background: The nosology of the psychosis high-risk state is controversial. Traditionally conceived as an 'at risk' state for the development of psychotic disorders, it is also conceptualised as a clinical syndrome associated with functional impairment.

Aims: To investigate meta-analytically the functional status of patients at high clinical risk for psychosis and its association with longitudinal outcomes.

Method: Three meta-analyses compared level of functioning (n = 3012) and quality of life (QoL) (n = 945) between a high-risk group, a healthy control group and group with psychosis, and baseline functioning in people in the high-risk group who did or did not have a transition to psychosis at follow-up (n = 654).

Results: People at high risk had a large impairment in functioning (P<0.001) and worse QoL (P = 0.001) than the healthy control group, but only small to moderately better functioning (P = 0.012) and similar QoL (P = 0.958) compared with the psychosis group. Among the high-risk group, those who did not develop psychosis reported better functioning (P = 0.001) than those who did.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that the high-risk state is characterised by consistent and large impairments of functioning and reduction in QoL similar to those in other coded psychiatric disorders.

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Comment in

  • Putative high risk for psychosis should not be considered a disorder.
    Castle DJ. Castle DJ. Br J Psychiatry. 2016 Feb;208(2):197. doi: 10.1192/bjp.208.2.197. Br J Psychiatry. 2016. PMID: 26834171 No abstract available.
  • Authors' reply.
    Rocchetti M, Sardella A, Avila A, Brandizzi M, Caverzasi E, Politi P, Ruhrmann S, McGuire P, Fusar-Poli P. Rocchetti M, et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2016 Feb;208(2):197-8. doi: 10.1192/bjp.208.2.197a. Br J Psychiatry. 2016. PMID: 26834172 No abstract available.