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Objectives: Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric illness consisting primarily of positive and negative symptoms. In recent years, psychosocial treatment approaches have become more popular and have been understood as more useful in addition to biological treatment in patients with schizophrenia. In our country, these approaches have been provided by community mental health center since 2008. This study aims to define the sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients with schizophrenia in Diskapi Community Mental Health Center. In this way, psychosocial treatment approaches will be defined more clearly.
Method: The study was conducted in Ankara Diskapi CMHC in 2013. One hundred thirty two patient with schizophrenia as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM IV-TR) criteria attending Diskapi CMHC. They were administered a sociodemographic information form, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Global Assessment of Function (GAF), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS). The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 15.
Results: Sociodemographic characteristics of 132 patients: 40.2% were female, 64.4% were single, 68.9% were unemployed, mean duration of education was 8.4 years, mean age was 37.8 years. Clinical characteristics of the patients: Mean duration of illness was 22.1 years. Mean number of hospitalizations were 1.95, mean score of GAF was 52.8, mean score of SANS was 49.5, mean score of SAPS was 26, mean score of BPRS was 26.5, mean score of CDSS was 6.6, mean score of ESPS was 6.1.
Conclusions: These findings will increase our understanding of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of a patient with schizophrenia in our CMHC. Negative factors such as being single, being unemployed, duration of education is low must be considered. Scores of SANS and GAF were significant. The existence of clinically negative symptoms may adversely affect the functionally. We should make use of community oriented intervention programs that aim to strengthen psychosocial functioning.