Comparing long acting injectable antipsychotics versus oralantipsychotics for the schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders in terms of social functioning, side effects, caregiver burden and cognition

Schizophrenia (SC) and other psychotic disorders (OPD) are diseases characterized by; positive symptoms such as delusion and hallucination, negative symptoms such as poverty of speech which can affect patients' and families' lifes in several domains. Antipsychotic treatment is essential when treating people with SC and OPD. Antipsychotic treatment can be recevied as long acting injectable antipsychotic (LAIA) and oral antipsychotic (OA). The aim of this study was to examine the symptom severity, depression, social functioning, side effects, caregiver burden and cognition in patients who live with SC and OPD, and comparing LAIA and OA groups by these aspects. 49 patients treated with LAIA and 50 patients treated with OA who were being followed-up by Bursa Uludağ University Psychiatry Polyclinic and their caregivers were included in the study. Participants and their caregivers were seen once cross-sectionally and evaluated with the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), Brief Clinical Assessment Scale for Schizophrenia (BCASS), Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP), Glasgow Antipsychotic Side Effect Scale (GASES) Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA-TR) and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS). Family history of disease, hospitalization rates, psychosis, hallucinations scores were significantly higher among LAIA group and abstraction scores were significanly lower among LAIA group when compared to OA group. BCASS and ZCBS scores were significantly higher in SC group compared to OPD group. Visuospatial and executive functions, abstraction and PSP scores were lower in SC group compared to OPD group. In conclusion, patients with psychotic spectrum disorders must be evaluated in domains of treatment adherence and personal differences. Clinicians should always mind offering and initiating LAIA for patients with low treatment adherence. It has been speculated early inital of LAIA may be positively impact prognosis of psychotic disease.