EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS TREATED WITH FIRST AND SECOND GENERATION ANTIPSYCHOTICS

Introduction- The quality of life of patients with schizophrenia has been extensively studied, however the benefit of using second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) on the subjective quality of life of patients needs to be clarified.

Objective- To compare the quality of life in patients with schizophrenia treated with first generation antipsychotics (FGA) to those treated with SGA.

Method - This is a cross-sectional study that included patients with schizophrenia according to the criteria of  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), treated with FGA or SGA, stabilized under the same treatment for at least 2 months, and having no psychiatric or somatic comorbidity. The evaluation of the clinical profile of the patients was performed by PANSS (Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale). The quality of life assessment was made using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (MOS-SF36).

Results - from a total of 67 patients, 37 were under FGA and 30 under SGA. The two groups are clinically comparable based on the PANSS scale. No significant differences were found in overall scores in terms of physical and mental health, and in their sub-scales scores, between both groups.

Conclusion - In our study, we found no significant difference in subjective quality of life in patients with schizophrenia based on the use of FGA and SGA. This study, as well as the contradictory results encountered in the literature, prove that the concept of quality of life is complex, and cannot be reduced to the biologic dimension alone.