Comparison of life qualities in schizophrenic patients with and without symptomatic remission

Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder damaging social functioning, lifequality, affect business life. It progresses inevitably with relapse and remission circlesfor years. The notion ?symptomatic remission? defined by Andreasen in 2005, andcommonly accepted in psychiatry circle, is characterized with a decrease in only somemain symptoms for 6 months. In studies on schizophrenia patients, it is notified thatpatients having high level of psychopathology tended to have lower life quality. Up tillnow, in Turkey, there has been no study examining life quality in schizophrenia patientsin symptomatic remission. With this cross-sectional study, comparison ofsociodemographic characteristics and life qualities of 80 schizophrenia patients (40 notin remission, and 40 in symptomatic remission) in our region was aimed.At the end of the study, a significant difference between these two groups interms of age at onset of disorder, duration of disorder, previous hospitalization histories,supplementary medication usage, ECT (Electroconvulsive therapy) history andtreatment methods used. Education level of the group in remission was higher, and thenumber of people working in any job was greater than the non-remission group.According to PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale), positive, negative,general psychopathology and PANSS total scores; scores of all fields of life qualityscale, and GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning) score were lower when compared tothe group in symptomatic remission. However, CGI (Clinical Global Impression)severity score was higher. There was a negative correlation between PANSS negativesymptoms and total life quality. As a result, although in schizophrenia, symptomaticremission criteria is a notion focusing only on symptoms, it is seen that it can also reflectlife qualities and functioning of patients, and we should focus more on negativesyndroms in treatment.