Extended lifetime expectancy in schizophrenia, role of measurement based care

Abstract

Lifespan in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) is up to 20 years shorter than average. Introduction of new antipsychotic pharmaceuticals has not made any major improvement. Parallel care is provided as usual standard care (USD) in out-patients settings. The study aim was to evaluate if inclusion of Measurement Based Care (MBC) may prolong patients' lifespan. In total, 171 patients were followed with annual semi-structured examinations of psychiatric status, social situation, and somatic illnesses over 20 years, by case managers. Findings indicate that MBC contributed to prolonged lifespan in SSD from 55.6 to 69.4 years from beginning to end of the study.