Psychiatric comorbidity in first episode psychosis: The Early Psychosis Intervention Program (EPIP) experience

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence rates of psychiatric comorbidity in a hospitalized Asian patient group with first episode psychosis and examine its clinical correlates. Method: Seventy-nine consecutively admitted patients with first episode psychosis were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-axis I disorders (patient edition), Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorders (SUMD) and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scales. Results: Psychiatric comorbidity was present in 36.7% (n = 29) of the patients. Patients with psychiatric comorbidity were younger (P < 0.05), had an earlier onset of illness (P < 0.05) and ..