Subjective and psychopathological response in patients under different antipsychotic treatments: are there differences in real clinical practice?

The aim of this study is to investigate whether subjective well-being in patients under treatment with typical (ATPs) and atypical antipsychotic (ATPsA) compounds can be compared with the improvement of psychopathological state and to verify if both variables correlate to adherence to treatment. We assessed 106 consecutive patients receiving ATPs or ATPsA in the University Psychiatric Ward of L'Aquila, according to DSM-IV diagnosis of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Psychopathological state was assessed by Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-4.0 version (BPRS), adherence to treatment and subjective well-being was assessed by Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10) and Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptics (SWN), respectively. BPRS and DAI-10 were administered on admission (TO) and at the end of recovery (T1). The subjects enrolled in this study were divided into 2 groups according to ATP prescribed. We observed an improvement of BPRS and SWN total scores in each group, and increasing scores in DAI-10, from admission to discharge, both in total samples and in each group. There were statistical differences between the patients receiving ATPs and those receving ATPsA regarding the SWN total score and its different dimensions. This study emphasizes that patients receiving ATPsA show better subjective response compared with patients undergoing ATP treatment, although the adherence to pharmacotherapy and clinical improvement do not differ between the groups.