20-Year Follow-Up after First-Episode Psychosis: How Early Treatment Choices Shape Long-Term Outcomes

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This observational study recontacts a well-characterized cohort of individuals who previously had first-episode psychosis and were part of an RCT on maintenance versus discontinuation of antipsychotics. It uses a one-time, in-depth assessment including clinical interviews, cognitive testing, and measures of psychosocial functioning, with retrospective data extracted on relapses and medication exposure. Advanced statistical methods will identify subgroups based on early treatment and relapse patterns and model cognitive trajectories over time to identify predictors of outcomes. The study also explores mechanisms behind medication discontinuation and poor long-term outcomes, including relapse burden and treatment resistance. Ethical safeguards include re-consent and redacted records to preserve rater blinding and participant confidentiality.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Participants were individuals who previously participated in a randomized controlled trial investigating medication continuation/discontinuation on relapse during first episode psychosis (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00334035). The trial included specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, detailed as follows:

Inclusion Criteria:

* A diagnosis of schizophrenia or non-affective psychosis (schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, brief psychotic disorder, or psychosis not otherwise specified) (DSM-IV)
* Aged 18 to 65 years at the time of original enrolment
* Had been treated with antipsychotic drugs for at least 12 months
* No history of relapse or exacerbation or had to be asymptomatic (free of positive symptoms of psychosis) at study entry.

Exclusion Criteria:

* A diagnosis of drug-induced psychosis
* Current treatment with clozapine, with mood stabilizing medications (lithium, valproate or carbamazepine) or with depot medication
* Had high risk of suicide or violence
* Inability to provide informed consent at recruitment

Where it's running

• Department of Psychiatry, Queen Mary Hospital
  Hong Kong, China Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Lai Ming Christy Hui, PhD
• Email: christy@lmhui.com
• Phone: 852-22554486

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.