Journal of International Psychiatry

[Abstract] Objective To explore the factors influencing the first antipsychotic medication interruption in patients with schizophrenia. Methods The patients with first-episode schizophrenia admitted to the Fourth Peoples Hospital of Wuhu City from 2022.1.1 to 2023.1.1 were included. All patients were treated with second-generation antipsychotic drugs mainly at home. The occurrence of treatment interruption was recorded at 6-month follow-up after the first treatment. General data such as age, gender, and education of patients with and without treatment interruption were compared. Logistics regression was used to analyze the factors affecting treatment interruption. Results Thirty of the 89 schizophrenic patients had treatment interruptions. The differences in education, type of medication, place of residence, family guardianship, Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS), marital status, and follow-up were statistically significant (P<0.05). The differences in age, gender, and family history of mental illness between the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). logistics regression analysis showed that elementary school education and below, taking ≥2 types of medication, living in rural areas, poor family guardianship, and TESS score >30 were the influencing factors for the first time of antipsychotic medication interruption in schizophrenic patients. Conclusion Patients with schizophrenia are susceptible to medication interruptions during their first antipsychotic treatment, and low educational attainment and the variety of medications taken may increase the risk of medication interruptions, so follow-up as well as health education should be strengthened.

Key words Schizophrenia; First Treatment; Antipsychotics; Treatment Interruption; Influencing Factors