Medwire (6/21, Piper) reports that treatment adherence directly improves the quality of life for schizophrenia patients, according to the results of a study published online June 11 in the journal European Psychiatry. Using the Quality of Life Scale, the researchers at the University of Manchester, UK, assessed the “363 patients who had had schizophrenia for a median of 12 years” and found that over the course of one year, the compliant patients’ “scores improved by an average 9.18 points.” The study team also noted improvements on the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, among the patients who followed their treatment regimens, with “average decreases of 2.79 for positive symptoms, 3.03 for negative symptoms, and 2.56 for depressive symptoms.”
Related Links:
— “Treatment adherence predicts QoL in schizophrenia, “Lucy Piper, Medwire, June 21, 2013.