Torben Christensen

Gender differences in young adults with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders at baseline in the danish opus study

Gender differences in age at first onset, duration of untreated psychosis, psychopathology, social functioning, and self-esteem were investigated in a group of 578 young adults with a first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder. The mean age at first-onset of symptoms, age at first contact, and duration of untreated psychosis were similar for men and women. Men had more severe negative symptoms, poorer premorbid functioning, and poorer social networks, whereas women had more severe hallucinations. More men than women were substance abusers, were unemployed, and lived alone. Women had poorer self-esteem than men, in spite of better scores in functioning. Premorbid social adjustment was significantly related to the level of negative symptoms and number of friends. Conclusion is that men and women with first-episode psychosis showed different psychopathological characteristics and different social functioning, which cannot be explained by older age of onset for women. Women make more suicide attempts and experience lower self-esteem in spite of better social functioning.

Integrated treatment ameliorates negative symptoms in first episode psychosis—results from the Danish OPUS trial

PURPOSEnTo investigate the effect of integrated treatment on negative, psychotic and disorganised symptoms in patients with first episode psychosis.nnnMETHODnA RCT comparing integrated treatment (IT) with standard treatment (ST) was conducted, including 547 patients, aged 18-45, diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. All patients were assessed with SCAN, SAPS and SANS at entry and after 1 and 2 years. The IT consisted of assertive community treatment, multifamily groups, psycho-education and social skills training, and the caseload was 1:10 compared with 1:25 in ST. Since attrition was considerable, a mixed model analysis with repeated measurements was used to examine the possible effects of IT statistically.nnnRESULTSnIT reduced both negative and positive symptoms significantly better than ST. Most marked were the results from the negative dimension, where all five global scores from SANS had a significantly better reduction in IT. Sub-analyses did not single out any one element in the integrated treatment that could explain this result.nnnCONCLUSIONnIntegrated treatment significantly reduced both negative and psychotic symptoms, assumably due to the different psychosocial treatment elements that were provided in the IT. The results indicate that the integrated approach is crucial, since, most likely, many aspects of the integrated treatment have contributed to the reduction of symptoms.

Validation of a prognosis based upon a eutrophication model

Abstract A prognosis, previously published together with the applied model in 1978, has been validated, and the results are presented in this paper together with a prognosis validation of an improved version. The characteristics features of the two model versions and the lake characteristics for the case study are given. The validation shows that acceptable model prognoses can be set up, but that flexible structure models probably would do a better job, as a shift in the species composition was observed, when the nutrient loading was reduced significantly.

Social network among young adults with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders

BackgroundSocial network has considerable impact on physical and mental health. Patients experiencing first-episode psychosis early in adult life may experience severe problems concerning development and maintenance of their social network.MethodsA total of 547 first-episode psychotic patients (18–45) were randomised to standard or integrated treatment, (ACT, social skills training and family intervention), and followed up at 2xa0years.ResultsService use or psychotic symptom score did not influence the social network size, measured after the first 2xa0years of treatment. Small network size was associated with long duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), poor premorbid adjustment, male gender and severe negative symptoms. The number of friends at 2-year follow-up was predicted by age, A-level status, negative symptoms and number of friends at entry, while the determinants for number of family contacts were age, gender, disorganised dimension and family contacts at entry.ConclusionsPremorbid functioning, network size at entry and DUP is closely related to small social network size. The integrated psychosocial treatment programme was not sufficient to address this problem.

F. D. Maurice and the Contemporary Religious World

In 1838 Frederick Denison Maurice introduced himself to the English public through his great work, The Kingdom of Christ; or, Hints on the Principles, Ordinances, and Constitution of the Catholic Church. In this book he attempted to show that all men’s searchings, yearnings, and longings would be satisfied in the Church of England, by its ordinances, worship, and doctrinal standards. The Established Church represented the solution to all the enigmas of human existence. In many ways The Kingdom of Christ was a difficult book to master. To all appearances there was an indistinctness in the argument and an obscurity of language. But it had the touch of originality. Above all, whether Maurice could be clearly understood or not, it was evident that he spoke with passion and authority, as a man entrusted with a message from God to the contemporary world. He was convinced that he had been given the task to call back to the truth the religious world, which had not grasped it.