Research on psychotic disorders

On Monday, 2 February, at 16:30, in an open meeting of the Medical Promotion Council of Rīga Stradiņš University which was held in the Hippocrates Lecture Theatre (16 Dzirciema Street, Rīga), Marija Rusaka defended her doctoral thesis “Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorder (ATPD) Dynamic Development and Peculiarities in Diagnostics and Treatment in Latvia”.

Acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPD) are characterised by acute psychosis (general term for the type of mental state, often involving a loss of contact with reality), varied symptomatology, and rapid resolution. Currently the role of researches on ATPT becomes increasingly significant, as scientists get involved in active discussions on the options to change the classification of ATPT diagnosis in the next revision of the International Classification of Diseases.

The aim of the study was to examine early symptoms of acute and transient psychotic disorders and the stability of the diagnosis, to describe early peculiarities of hospitalisation in ATPD patients and patients, who later were diagnosed with schizophrenia, to investigate the possible relation of ATPD with stressful events before the first ATPD episode and personality profiles, as well as to identify treatment tactics in Latvia.

One of the research conclusions: clinical symptoms of the first psychotic episode in the ATPD patient group and ATPD patients, who later were diagnosed with schizophrenia differs. The main prognostic indicators of the diagnosis were mental disorders during the first psychotic episode. General stability of the diagnosis was around 50%. It was established that a great part of ATPD patients experienced stressful events before the first psychotic episode. The relation of ATPD diagnosis with personality traits was not established.