[Correlation between subjective well-being and pharmacological therapy in patients with psychotic disorders]

The present study aims to investigate whether exists a meaningful relation between quality of life and subjective well being with regard to the pharmacological treatment (antipsychotic typical versus atypical) in a sample of people with psychotic disorders integrated in a Community Residential Rehabilitation Centre; to examine whether the different antipsychotic treatment is correlated to a different answer to the psychosocial rehabilitation intervention in terms of significant improvement in the positive and negative symptomatology, subjective well-being and quality of life.

All patients, who suffer from schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder according to DSM-IV criteria, treated with antipsychotic and stabilized from at least one month, were enrolled in the study.

32 patients have participated in the study: 22 patients treated with atypical drugs and 10 with typical. The analysis of the collected data didn't show any significant statistical difference at baseline with regard to symptomatology, subjective well-being and quality of life. From the statistical analysis of the data to the endpoint, after a month of psychosocial rehabilitation, we found a statistically meaningful improvement in all the areas inquired in the group of the patients dealt with antipsychotic atypical drugs.

The results confirm that the atypical antipsychotics are more effective, than the typical, to improve symptomatology, subjective well-being and quality of life of psychiatric patients.