Schizophrenia for "Life" - a Registry and Interview Study Among Elderly With Lifelong Schizophrenia

Summary

The elderly demographic is on the rise - and this includes elderly living with schizophrenia. Yet very little is known about their lives, how they cope with their condition and how it develops over time.

Research in this patient-group is sparse; overall there seem to be a tendency for elderly patients to manifest fewer psychotic symptoms and experiencing an increase in the psychological quality of life with older age. Opinions are divided on the degree and extent to which this tendency reflects remission and/or recovery in older patients.

In order to identify factors associated with a positive outcome we:

* Investigate the course and the outcomes of the illness over the lifespan, as well as the life course and outcomes.
* Investigate the current status of mental and physical health, quality of life as well as functional competence of elderly (55+ yr) with schizophrenia.

Also the investigators

\- Compare the trajectory and prognosis of schizophrenia (a chronic mental illness) with type 1 diabetes (a chronic somatic illness).

This study will yield vital insights into how schizophrenia develops over time, isolating factors that determine how well patients fare. The perspective is to advance knowledge of elderly with schizophrenia with a view to optimizing and increasing the effectiveness of the interventions offered to this group.

Conditions

• Schizophrenia

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Psychiatric Research Foundation in Southern Denmark

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Region of Southern Denmark

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Southern Denmark

  collaborator OTHER

• The Danish Mental Health Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• The Danish Health Foundation (Helsefonden)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• The non-profit foundation Trygfonden.

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Odense Patient Data Explorative Network

  collaborator OTHER

• Jeppe Juhl and Ovita Juhls Memorial Grant

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Butcher Max Wørzner and wife Inger Wørzner's Memorial Grant

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Kjeld Andersen

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Maria Brink, MD · University of Southern Denmark

Eligibility

Min Age

55 Years

Max Age

95 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-09-30

Primary Completion

2015-09-30

Completion

2017-12-31

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations