Thesis (MA. (Psychology)) -- University of the North, 2002. / The aim of the study was to assess as to whether psycho education can lead to compliance,and to strengthen the families to be long-term caregivers in Mankweng hospital (psychiatric clinic) of the Limpopo Province. It is included two phases(l) baseline and (2) follow-up. The baseline included of 82 (50 males and 32 females) participants with schizo phrenia. Their (patients) ages ranged from 17 years to 62 years with the mean age of 37.5 (SD=l 0.2). So, forty-one (41) patients were the experimental group who interviewed and also received intervention , and the remaining forty-one(41) were only interviewed at the baseline. After nine moths , follow-up was done, and it included fifty-seven (36 males and 21 females) participants who were followed up at their homes. Thirty-one (31) were the experimental group and twenty-six (26) were the control group. Their ages ranged from 20 years to 62 years with the mean age 39.3 (SD= l2.6). At follow-up , the questionnaire was going along with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale for both groups. The results showed that most of the patients were compliant to their medications however ,with no significant differences because of the small sample that represented the population . For instance , not all patients were available at the follow-up session and there were other factors that could harm the effectiveness of research. The research concludes that psycho-education in South Africa can promise to improve health for the individuals only if the psychiatrists continue to educate patients to be effective on their treatment; and it can provide a concrete approach to the development of social and coping skills of the patients and their families.

The purpose of this project was to implement an educational program that provided psychiatric nurses with the knowledge and skills to engage patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in self-care management regarding medication and treatment adherence. The theory employed in the project was the educational theory. Evidence of effectiveness came from a pre- and postintervention assessment of nurses' knowledge and confidence in teaching about medication, along with a pre- and postassessment of knowledge gained as a result of the educational intervention. Pre- and posteducational rates of patient rehospitalization for medication nonadherence were compared. The results indicated a 15% rate of readmission of schizophrenia patients prior to the educational sessions. The 30-day readmission rate decreased to approximately 5% after the educational sessions. Based on these results, it was concluded that the educational project intervention had a positive impact on improving knowledge and insight of the nurses about nonadherence to medication among patients with schizophrenia. The positive social impact of improving nurses' knowledge of educating schizophrenic patients are increased patient well-being and reduced social costs associated with relapse and readmission. Recommendations from this project include that nurses should educate patients with schizophrenia on how to adhere to medication directives and the importance of doing so.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed Jan. 29, 2010). Additional advisors: Robert J. Collins, Peter Donahue, Lawrence G. Wharton. Includes bibliographical references (p. 51).

While most people with schizophrenia face the functional consequences of a lifelong disorder, very few studies have investigated the specific domain of daily living activities performance. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationships between daily activity performance, cognitive deficits, and community functioning in people with schizophrenia. More specifically, the objectives were: 1) to describe functional limitations during daily task performance, 2) to explore the existence of subgroups of participants with similar functional limitations profiles, 3) to explore the relationships between daily task performance and cognitive functions as well as 4) with community functioning. This thesis tested the hypothesis that limitations in task performance negatively influence community functioning. / A sample of 82 individuals with schizophrenia and 28 healthy controls participated in this study and were assessed during a meal preparation task with the Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) System of Task Analysis and on cognitive tests of visuospatial memory, spatial working memory, visuomotor coordination, planning and selective attention. Community functioning was assessed with the Independent living Skills Survey and the Multnomah Community Ability Scale. Limitations in the Perceive, Recall and Plan quadrants of the PRPP System, were found in participants with schizophrenia when compared to a control group (n = 28), as well as in the complete sample (n = 82). Participants in the high-efficiency subgroup ( n =36) were more independent in daily living and performed better on the visuospatial associative learning task than the low-efficiency subgroup (n = 46). At the specific level of individual profiles, participants were distributed along a continuum of low- to high-functioning on the PRPP System factors and on functional, cognitive, and clinical characteristics. / The associative learning task was most associated with task performance, along with working memory and planning. Finally, less efficient planning skills were associated with a lower level of community functioning, confirming the hypothesis. These results emphasize the relationship of associative visual memory to daily task performance, as well as that of efficiency in daily activities for residential status. Integrating these findings into the rehabilitation process will contribute to better meeting the needs of people with schizophrenia.

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Background: There is currently very little research on recovery from the perspective ofindividuals with recent-onset of psychotic disorders. Forming a better understanding ofthesubjective meaning ofrecovery and recovery experiences during this early phase ofrecovery caninform effective and meaningful service design and practices.Method: Thirty individuals recovering from psychosis and receiving specialized earlyinterventiontreatment were interviewed regarding the meaning and experience of recovery frompsychosis during the early phase (2-5 years) ofthe illness course.Results: Recovery was described as a multidimensional experience that included aspects of"illness recovery," "psychological recovery," and "social recovery." Seven common earlyrecovery experiences were identified. Individual variations in the magnitude ofdescribeddisruption of self and social functioning, duration ofthe illness-acceptance process and theprocess treatment negotiation greatly influenced the experience ofrecovery.Conclusion: Differences in illness acceptance and social recovery trajectories have importantimplications for understanding individual responses to the experience ofpsychosis, its diagnosisand treatment. These differences emphasize the importance of assisting individuals with theconstruction of meaning and the reengagement in social roles following the initial illnessexperience. / Contexte: Il y a actuellement peu de recherche sur la rétablissement du point de vue d'individusaprès un premier épisode de psychose. La formation d'une meilleure compréhension de senssubjectif des expériences de rétablissement pendant cette première phase de rétablissement peutinformer le design efficace et expressif des services et des pratiques.Méthode: Trente individus se rétablissement de la psychose et recevant un traitement depremière intervention spécialisé ont été interviewés à propos du sens et de l'expérience derétablissement de la psychose pendant la première phase (2-5 ans) du cours de maladie.Résultats: La rétablissement a été décrite comme une expérience multidimensionnelle qui ainclus des aspects de "la rétablissement de maladie," "la rétablissement psychologique," et "larétablissement sociale." Identifiées ont été sept premières expériences de rétablissementcommunes. Les variations individuelles dans l'étendue de perturbation décrite de soi et defonctionnement social, la durée du processus d'acceptation de maladie et de la négociation duprocessus de traitement ont beaucoup influencé l'expérience de rétablissement.Conclusions : Les différences dans les trajectoires d'acceptation de maladie et de rétablissementsociale ont des implications importantes pour comprendre les réponses individuelles àl'expérience de psychose, sa diagnose et traitement. Ces différences accentuent l'importanced'assister les individus avec la construction de sens et avec le réengagement dans les rôlessociaux après l'expérience de maladie initiale.

Licentiatavhandling (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2006. / Härtill 2 uppsatser.

Thesis (MSc (Genetics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Rapidly expanding knowledge of the human genome allows new insight into the interaction between drugs and DNA. The heterogeneic nature of schizophrenia is known to cause different patients to display dissimilar drug responses, reflecting distinct genetic profiles. Resulting adverse side effects include tardive dyskinesia (TD), a movement disorder associated with the long-term use of antipsychotic drugs. The identification of a pharmacogenetic basis of TD may have significant clinical implications in the treatment of schizophrenia, allowing individualised prescription of antipsychotic drugs and eventual elimination of undesirable side effects. The current study focussed on a number of South African Xhosa schizophrenia patients, some of whom have been diagnosed with TD. The investigation sought to establish whether the underlying mechanism causing the disorder to manifest only in some individuals, might be attributed to differences in DNA sequences, i.e. genomic susceptibility. A number of candidate polymorphisms in the CYP and MDR1 genes were evaluated in three separate analyses. (The same approach was followed in each investigation, and only known polymorphisms were selected.) The incidences of the various variants were compared between TD and non-TD patients. In addition, potential predisposing factors, i.e. tobacco and cannabis smoking and anhedonia, were taken into consideration. These were analysed concurrently with DNA data and TD status.

The problem of this study was to isolate a constellation of "signs" or items of behavior of individuals on the Bender-Gestalt test and to determine if these signs will discriminate significantly between one patient category, paranoid schizophrenia, and three other major diagnostic categories.