The intercontinental schizophrenia outpatient health outcomes (IC-SOHO) study: baseline clinical and functional characteristics and antipsychotic use patterns in the North Africa and Middle Eastern (AMEA) region: original article

Objective: To describe the baseline findings of the Intercontinental Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (IC-SOHO) study in the North Africa and Middle Eastern sub-region (AMEA-SOHO) Method: The IC-SOHO study is an ongoing prospective, three-year, non-interventional observational study of schizophrenia treatment, clinical characteristics and mental health services utilization in two North African and two Middle Eastern countries. The study population consists of non-hospitalised patients who had initiated treatment with or changed to a new antipsychotic. Results: The baseline findings of the IC-SOHO study (AMEA Subset) appear to reflect clinical practice in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Algeria (N=1, 398). Overall, the patients were moderately to markedly ill and either overweight (46%) or obese (8%) when they entered the study. Functionally, the majority of patients were not involved in social activities, could not care for themselves and were unemployed. Substance and alcohol dependency/abuse was not a problem in this study population. At baseline the majority of patients were treated with typical antipsychotics (oral and depot); and anticholinergics were the most commonly prescribed concomitant medication. Sexual side effects were most frequently reported among the surveyed adverse events. Overall compliance/adherence to medication was good. Conclusion: The baseline IC-SOHO data highlighted various clinical and functional characteristics and antipsychotic use patterns in a group of outpatients with schizophrenia in a naturalistic setting. Once completed, the IC-SOHO study will add further to this knowledge base. SA Psychiatry Rev. Vol.7(3) 2004: 27-3

The Intercontinental Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (IC-SOHO) study: baseline clinical and functional characteristics and antipsychotic use patterns in Turkey

Objective: In this study, our main objective is to describe the baseline findings of the Intercontinental Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes(IC-SOHO) study in Turkey.Method: The IC-SOHO study is an ongoing prospective, three-year non-interventional observational study of schizophrenia treatment, clinicalcharacteristics and mental health services utilization in Turkey. The study population consisted of non-hospitalized patients who had started orswitched into a new antipsychotic.Results: The baseline findings of the IC-SOHO study (Turkish Subset) appear to reflect clinical features of schizophrenia patients in Turkey (n=692).Overall the patients were moderately to markedly ill (66.7%) and already overweight (46.4%) and obese (7.3%) when they entered the study.Functionally the majority of patients were not involved in social activities, could not care for themselves and were unemployed. Substance andalcohol dependency/abuse was not a major problem in this study population. The majority of patients at baseline were treated with anantipsychotic (86.1%) and oral typicals antipsychotics were the most commonly used drugs 6 months prior to the study. Sexual adverse events werethe most frequently reported amongst the surveyed adverse events and overall compliance/adherence was moderate.Conclusion: The baseline IC-SOHO findings highlighted various clinical and functional characteristics and antipsychotic use patterns in a group ofschizophrenic outpatients in a naturalistic setting in Turkey. Once completed, the IC-SOHO study will add further information to this knowledge base

Depression in the South African workplace

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder and can be costly, having a significant impact on the individual and employers. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) in partnership with HEXOR, with the support of Lundbeck, undertook research into depression in the workplace, because South African information is not available on this topic. It provides insight into the prevalence of depression within the workplace in South Africa, as well as the impact of depression on the employees and employers in terms of sick leave and levels of productivity, especially when the symptoms include cognitive impairment. It is apparent that stigma plays a pivotal role in the reasons for non-disclosure to employers. It further highlights the magnitude of awareness, early detection and the provision of a holistic support system within the work environment, free from bias, to ensure that optimum benefit can be achieved for both employer and employee