Reducing the duration of untreated first-episode psychosis -- effects on baseline social functioning and quality of life

OBJECTIVE: Long duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with poorer outcome. The TIPS study demonstrated that DUP can be reduced through early detection (ED). As quality of life (QoL) is associated with DUP it is expected that reduction of DUP leads to better QoL. METHOD: Consecutive first-episode patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of non-organic, non-affective psychosis were included, 281 patients gave informed consent and 263 completed a full evaluation of QoL. RESULTS: There were no differences in subjective QoL between ED and No-ED groups attributable to reduction in DUP. There were significant bivariate differences in frequency of family and social contacts in favor of the ED group, but multivariate analyses indicated that these differences were based on differences in sample characteristics. CONCLUSION: Deterioration in QoL may precede overt symptom formation. Focus on functional loss in ED educational campaigns may identify risk subjects earlier in the course of the disorder.