Rates of Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia from First Episode Cohorts

Treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is associated with high levels of functional impairment, health service usage and societal costs. Quantifying rates of people with TRS to date has been challenging. Cross-sectional studies tend to overestimate the rates of TRS due to selection bias, while single site first episode cohort studies may not be generalisable.

We found TRS rates among first-episode cohorts to be 22.8% (95%CI 19.1%-27.0%), and 24.4% (95%CI 19.5%-30.0%) among first-episode schizophrenia cohorts. Men were 1.57 times more likely to develop TRS than women. These high rates of TRS highlight the need for improved access to clozapine and psychosocial supports.

Investigators

• Dan Siskind, Principal Investigator, QCMHR
• Stacy Orr, Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, Australia
• Surabhi Sinha, Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, Australia
• Ou Yu, University of Queensland School of Clinical Medicine, Brisbane, Australia
• Bhavna Brijball, University of Queensland School of Clinical Medicine, Brisbane, Australia
• Nicola Warren, Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, Australia
• James H MacCabe, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
• Sophie E Smart, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
• Steve Kisely, Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, Australia