Quality of life and functioning in first-episode psychosis Chinese patients with different antipsychotic medications

Aim This study compared the quality of life and functioning of 285 first‐episode psychosis Chinese patients with different antipsychotic medications in Hong Kong. Method Under the Jockey Club Early Psychosis project, a total of 285 patients were recruited from all inpatient and outpatient psychiatric units in Hong Kong between 2009 and 2011. In addition to the medication information, patients were assessed with the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersøgelser (UKU), Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS), the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS), the Role Functioning Scale, and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12‐Item Health Survey (SF‐12) after stabilization of mental condition. Differences between individual antipsychotic medications were compared using anova and multinomial regression model. Results The results demonstrated significant differences between different antipsychotic medications in the mean of UKU neurological subscore, BARS total score, SOFAS score and SF‐12 Mental Component Summary (MCS) score. Patients with haloperidol had higher mean UKU neurological subscore than patients with olanzapine or amisulpride. Risperidone was associated with higher mean BARS total score than olanzapine, amisulpride or sulpiride. Higher mean MCS was found in patients with amisulpride than patients with risperidone. Conclusions The findings suggest that antipsychotics have differential associations with the quality of life and functioning in patients with first‐episode psychosis. Future prospective study is warranted to investigate if patients with first‐episode psychosis will benefit specific type of antipsychotics more than the others.