The Establishment of the Early Intervention Program for Patients With Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia Clinical Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00172770
• Other study ID #: 93621700617
• Secondary ID: DOH93-TD-M-113-0
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1/Phase 2
• First received: September 12, 2005
• Last updated: December 20, 2005
• Start date: August 2004
• Est. completion date: July 2006

Study information

• Verified date: September 2005
• Source: National Taiwan University Hospital
• Contact: Ping-Chuan Hsiung, Ph.D
• Phone: 02-23123456
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Taiwan: Department of Health
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness, which has a prodromal phase of 1-2 years prior to the onset of the illness. During the prodromal phase, patients might show maladaptation and/or poor social functioning. However, these early symptom of schizophrenia might be overlooked by patients and their families. At that period, patients might strive to improve their social interactions and social functioning. However, the efforts might further create their stress level on everyday life, which can actually accelerate the illness onset of schizophrenia. In other words, the efforts would worsen the pathophysiologic changes in the brain, which can result in the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

Previous researches found that the critical period for treatment of schizophrenia is the early phase of illness onset, especially the first two or three years. Delay treatment would worsen the illness. To this extent, early treatment would bring to a better prognosis as well as minimize the costs of individuals, families and society. In other words, early interventions not only can prevent relapse, it also can benefit patients’ psychosocial adjustments. However, researches found that the average duration of untreated psychosis is 25.2 months in Taiwan, which indicates the phenomena of delay treatment and this trend might result in missing the critical treatment period.

This is a two years study aiming to establish an early intervention program for patients with schizophrenia. In the first year, it aims to understand the phenomena of psychiatric care services utilization for patients with schizophrenia, special emphasis will be on the delay treatment and pluralistic health seeking process. In the second year, it aims to establish an early intervention program. The results of this research would contribute to in-service trainings, service providing, and policy making of psychiatric services.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 20
• Est. completion date: July 2006
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients with schizophrenia

• capable to express in Chinese

• willing to cooperate with

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients with schizophrenia but not willing to cooperate with

Study Design

Observational Model: Defined Population, Time Perspective: Longitudinal

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Schizophrenia

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Taiwan	Ping-Chuan,Hsiung	Taipei

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
National Taiwan University Hospital	Department of Health, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (Taiwan)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Taiwan,