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Side‐effects of antipsychotic medication and health‐related quality of life in schizophrenia
Author(s) -
Bebbington P. E.,
Angermeyer M.,
Azorin J.M.,
Marwaha S.,
Marteau F.,
Toumi M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2008.01310.x
Subject(s) - schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , antipsychotic , quality of life (healthcare) , psychiatry , psychology , medicine , psychotherapist
Objective: This analysis used data from the large ( n = 1208) European Schizophrenia Cohort to examine the association between subjective side‐effects of antipsychotic medication and the Mental and Physical Composite Scores (MCS; PCS) of the SF‐36 scale. Method: Relationships between the subjective evaluation of side‐effects identified from the Subjective Side‐Effects Scale and the adjusted mean score on the PCS and MCS were examined. Where appropriate, these associations of subjective side‐effects were compared with those of the same side‐effects measured objectively. Results: In this study, subjective side‐effects of antipsychotic medication were linked either to both the PCS and the MCS or, in a few instances, to neither. Subjective evaluations of sexual side‐effects were associated only with the MCS, those of sialorrhoea only with the PCS. Objective ratings of extrapyramidal side‐effects were related neither to PCS nor to MCS. Conclusion: These data suggest that side‐effects, whether subjective or objective, may need to be considered individually in relation to their impact on quality of life.