First diagnoses in schizophrenic patients

Abstract

Until a patient is diagnosed of schizophrenia often receives another diagnoses. Reasons can be multiple: difficulty for the differential diagnosis in prodromical phases, comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders, abuse of substances, behaviour disorders, etc.

Objetive

The aim of this study is to analyze the diagnosis that received in the first admission a sample of schizophrenia diagnosed patients.

Patients and Methods

Health histories of schizophrenia diagnosed patients who entered the Brief Hospitalization Unit of Dr R. Lafora Hospital in 2005 are analyzed. A total number of 162 patients is obtained. The diagnosis that received in the first entrance to our hospital is extracted from the health history.

Results:

A 64,4% of the patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia in 2005 were diagnosed of schizophrenia in their first entrance. Another 8,6% were diagnosed of psychotic nonspecified disorder. A 7,4% did not receive psychiatric diagnosis. 6,4% brief psychotic episode. A 3,1% psychotic disorder induced by substances. A 2,5% schizoaffective disorder. A 0,6% bipolar disorder. And a 6,2% received other diagnoses.

Discussion:

The data of our study indicated that a 28,2% of the schizophrenia diagnosed patients received another diagnosis previously (a 7,4% did not receive diagnosis to the discharge). Of the previously data, a 21,4% received diagnoses of psychotic disorders different from schizophrenia. This must probably response to temporary criteria for the diagnosis of schizophrenia (brief psychotic episode) prodromical forms (psychotic nonspecified disorder) and to substances use (psychotic disorder induced by substances) that make difficult the diagnosis in the early phases of the disease.