New article: Duration of active psychosis: A scoping review of definition, measurement, and relationship with outcomes

This scoping review describes the literature related to the duration of active psychosis (DAP) concept, with a particular focus on definition, measurement, and relationship with outcomes. While a longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with poorer outcomes across a range of domains, this period only represents a proportion of the time individuals experience psychotic symptoms. The DAP concept addresses this by estimating the duration of psychosis both before and after treatment initiation. We conducted a systematic search of four major databases and the grey literature to identify studies which examine DAP in individuals with first-episode psychosis. Nine eligible articles were identified. DAP is defined as the cumulative duration of two variables, DUP and the duration of psychosis after treatment initiation (DAT). The limited studies to date differed in their approach to measuring DAP and report an association between longer DAP and worse cognitive and negative symptom outcomes, while longer DAT was associated with worse functional outcomes. This scoping review underscores the need to establish a systematic and consistent approach to measuring DAP in both research and clinical settings, as this will enhance the quality of evidence, facilitate comparability between studies, and ultimately improve clinical decision making.

This scoping review describes the literature related to the duration of active psychosis (DAP) concept, with a particular focus on definition, measurement, and relationship with outcomes. While a longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with poorer outcomes across a range of domains, this period only represents a proportion of the time individuals experience psychotic symptoms. The DAP concept addresses this by estimating the duration of psychosis both before and after treatment initiation. We conducted a systematic search of four major databases and the grey literature to identify studies which examine DAP in individuals with first-episode psychosis. Nine eligible articles were identified. DAP is defined as the cumulative duration of two variables, DUP and the duration of psychosis after treatment initiation (DAT). The limited studies to date differed in their approach to measuring DAP and report an association between longer DAP and worse cognitive and negative symptom outcomes, while longer DAT was associated with worse functional outcomes. This scoping review underscores the need to establish a systematic and consistent approach to measuring DAP in both research and clinical settings, as this will enhance the quality of evidence, facilitate comparability between studies, and ultimately improve clinical decision making.

The article can be accessed [here]