Response to antipsychotic (AP) medication is critical to predicting long-term outcome in schizophrenia. This study examined the relationship between treatment response (TR) and four risk factors for schizophrenia. Method. Twenty-six outpatients were interviewed to assess childhood trauma and substance use. Patients' mothers completed interviews concerning family history of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and obstetric complications. TR was evaluated through information gleaned from medical records. Results. Family history of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (FH) was associated with decreased response to typical APs (r = -.37, p < .05). More severe childhood trauma was associated with worse TR (r = -.51, p < .001) while premorbid LSD use was associated with better TR (r = .52, p < .01). Further examination revealed that FH moderated the effects of trauma and LSD use on response to typical APs. None of the putative risk factors explained variance in TR to atypical APs. Conclusion. Childhood trauma and premorbid LSD use may cause permanent neurochemical changes responsible for altered TR in some individuals.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.78380 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Holowka, Darren W. |
| Contributors | King, Suzanne (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Psychiatry.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001974774, proquestno: AAIMQ88215, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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