Use of Modafinil in Psychiatric Disorders

Modafinil, is a psychostimulant drug with neurochemical and behavourial effects, distinct from those of amphetamine. It is used to treat patients with narcolepsy and other excessive sleepiness. Modafinil has dopaminergic, noradrenergic, histaminergic, glutamergic, serotonergic and GABAergic interactions. It is also shown that modafinil has neuroprotective effects via antioxidative mechanisms. Besides modafinil shows initial promise for a variety of off-label indications in psychiatry, including bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia . The aim of this article is to review the literature on clinical use of modafinil in psychiatric disorders. [Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry 2016; 8(1): 42-51

Symptomatic Remission Determines Functional Improvement and Quality of Life in Schizophrenia

WOS: 000391572500008PubMed: 28360807Introduction: Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that negatively affects the quality of life and psychosocial functions. Defined criteria to assess remission in schizophrenia are considered to be useful in the longterm follow-up of patients and in discriminating diagnostic factors. This study investigated the quality of life and functionality in schizophrenia patients in symptomatic remission (R-Sch) and not in remission (NonR- Sch). Methods: Sociodemographic data were collected for 40 R-Sch and 40 Non-R-Sch patients, and the following scales were administered: the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Scale; Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Form, Turkish Version (WHOQOL-BREF-TR), Quality of Life Scale for Schizophrenia Patients (QLS), and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). Results: the total and all subscale scores of PANSS and the CGI-S score were significantly lower in the R-Sch group than in the NonR- Sch group, whereas the GAF scores and all subscales of QLS and WHOQOL-BREF-TR were significantly higher. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that improvement in symptoms in schizophrenia patients improves quality and functionality in all areas of life, suggesting that an improvement in symptoms is the most important determinant of functional recovery in the treatment of schizophrenia