Current status specifiers for patients at clinical high risk for psychosis

Longitudinal studies of the clinical high risk (CHR) syndrome for psychosis have emphasized the conversion vs non-conversion distinction and thus far have not focused intensively on classification among non-converters. The present study proposes a system for classifying CHR outcomes over time when using the Structured Interview for Psychosis-risk Syndromes and evaluates its validity.

The system for classifying CHR outcomes is referred to as "current status specifiers," with "current" meaning over the month prior to the present evaluation and "specifiers" indicating a set of labels and descriptions of the statuses. Specifiers for four current statuses are described: progression, persistence, partial remission, and full remission. Data from the North American Prodromal Longitudinal Study were employed to test convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity of the current status distinctions.

Validity analyses partly supported current status distinctions. Social and role functioning were more impaired in progressive and persistent than in remitted patients, suggesting a degree of convergent validity. Agreement between CHR current statuses and current statuses for a different diagnostic construct (DSM-IV Major Depression) was poor, suggesting discriminant validity. The proportion converting to psychosis within a year was significantly higher in cases meeting progression criteria than in those meeting persistence criteria and tended to be higher than in those meeting full remission criteria, consistent with a degree of predictive validity.

CHR syndrome current status specifiers could offer a potentially valid and useful description of current clinical status among non-converters. Study in additional samples is needed.