Maintenance phase treatment of psychotic disorders in outpatients from Serbia – focus on long-term benzodiazepine use

Figures & data

Table 1. Study sample.

Age (years)	43.3 ± 11.0
Sex (male)	44 (60.3)
Education
Elementary school	4 (5.5)
High school	57 (78.1)
University/college	12 (16.4)
Employment
Employed	7 (9.6)
Training/education	2 (2.7)
Unemployed	37 (50.7)
Retired	27 (37.0)
Marital status
Single	57 (78.0)
Married/partnership	8 (11.0)
Divorced/separated	8 (11.0)
Diagnosis (ICD-10)
Schizophrenia – F20	27 (37.0)
Schizoaffective disorder – F25	11 (15.1)
Unspecified psychosis – F29	28 (38.3)
Other (F21, F22, F23)	7 (9.6)
Duration of illness (years)	13.6 ± 9.3
BPRS total score	1.8 ± 0.4
ReQoL total score	22.9 ± 7.9

Note: Results were presented as mean ± SD or N (%)

Table 2. Prescription of antipsychotic medication and relation to clinical parameters.

	AP monotherapy	AP polypharmacy	p
Frequency, N (%)	40 (54.8)	33 (45.2)
AP generation		FGA + SGA 26.0%
	FGA 2.7%	SGA + SGA 4.1%
	SGA 45.2%	SGA + TGA 8.3%
	TGA 6.9%	FGA + FGA 2.7%
		Three or more AP 4.1%
Long term injectable AP/depot AP medication	9/40	11/33	0.43
Median daily AP dose (CPZ equivalents, mg)	207.0	430.0	0.00
BPRS	1.8 ± 0.4	2.0 ± 0.5	0.05
ReQoL	24.3 ± 7.5	21.2 ± 8.2	0.09
Reported physical difficulties (moderate to severe) %	32.5	45.5	0.31
Diagnostic categories
F20	9/27	18/27	0.037
F25	8/11	3/11
F29	19/28	9/26

Note: BPRS: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; ReQol: Recovering Quality of Life Patient Reported Outcome Measure. p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant (bolded).

Figure 1. Rate of psychotropic polypharmacy and rate of benzodiazepine use.

Table 3. Prescription of benzodiazepines and relation to clinical parameters.

	BZD-	BZD+	p
Frequency, N (%)	29 (39.7)	44 (60.3)
Average BZD daily dose (lorazepam equivalents, mg)	n/a*	2.9 ± 2.0
AP polypharmacy (%)	24.2	75.8	0.01
Total number of psychotropic medication (mean ± SD)	2.3 ± 1.1	3.5 ± 0.8	0.00
BPRS	1.6 ± 0.3	2.0 ± 0.5	0.00
ReQoL	25.1 ± 7.9	21.3 ± 7.6	0.05
Reported physical difficulties (moderate to severe) %	33.3	47.5	0.31
Diagnostic categories
F20	8/27	19/27	0.217
F25	3/11	8/11
F29	14/28	14/28

Note: *‘as needed’ use of benzodiazepines was found in n = 11 (out of 29 patients in this group), but it was not possible to calculate DD. p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant (bolded).