What question did this study set out to answer?

This analysis aims to evaluate treatment approaches for patients with schizotypal disorder diagnosed during childhood and adolescence.

May 16, 2026

Analysis of therapy for schizotypal disorder with onset in childhood and adolescence at the acute and maintenance stages: results of a retrospective observational study

Key Points

This analysis aims to evaluate treatment approaches for patients with schizotypal disorder diagnosed during childhood and adolescence.
Retrospective analysis of 139 patients with schizotypal disorder treated inpatient from 1999 to 2018.
Assessment tools included the PANSS and PSP scale to evaluate symptoms and performance.
Participants categorized into four types based on symptom predominance.
Neuroleptic dosages varied, with 65.6% of patients requiring higher maintenance doses than acute doses.
53.9% of patients adhered to treatment, with adherence highest in types I and III (69.6% and 66.7%, respectively).
Treatment efficacy requires further validation in larger randomized studies.

Abstract

Objective. To perform a retrospective analysis of the treatment of patients with schizotypal disorder (STD) with onset in childhood and adolescence. Material and methods. Using random sampling, the study included 139 patients with schizotypal disorder (STD) diagnosed in childhood or adolescence during inpatient treatment from 1999 to 2018 and subsequently followed up by psychiatrists. The following assessment tools were used: the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scale. In 37 (26.6%) patients, the STD transformed into schizophrenia. The STD sample included 102 (73.4%) patients with a clinical presentation meeting the diagnostic criteria for schizotypal disorder (F21) according to ICD-10 at the time of the study. Based on the predominant symptoms, four types of STD were identified: with polymorphic disorders (type I); with a predominance of psychopathy-like disorders (type II); with a predominance of neurosis-like disorders (type III); with a predominance of negative disorders (type IV). Results. The daily doses of neuroleptics (as chlorpromazine equivalent doses) varied over wide ranges, with different types of STD not statistically different from each other. The maintenance dose was higher than the acute dose in 63 (65.6%) patients, lower in 31 (32.3%) patients, and equal to the acute dose in 2 (2.1%) patients. 53.9% of patients received regular therapy, 8.8% refused treatment. The highest adherence to treatment was found in patients with types I (69.6%) and III (66.7%), the lowest in those with types II (45.5%) and IV (16.7%), without significant differences (χ²=4.638, p=0.2). Conclusion. STD therapy, especially in children and adolescents, has insufficient evidence base and requires confirmation of efficacy in large randomized studies. The results emphasize the importance of a personalized approach to pharmacotherapy with careful monitoring of side effects. Psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation interventions are promising but need further standardization and validation.

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Cite This Study

Ivanova et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a080af2a487c87a6a40d12f https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17116/jnevro202612604181

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