The influence of complex psychiatric comorbidities on treatment for clinical high‐risk for psychosis: A preliminary study

Abstract

AbstractAimDespite increasingly refined tools for identifying individuals at clinical high‐risk for psychosis (CHR‐P), less is known about the effectiveness of CHR‐P interventions. The significant clinical heterogeneity among CHR‐P individuals suggests that interventions may need to be personalized during this emerging illness phase. We examined longitudinal trajectories within‐persons during treatment to investigate whether baseline factors predict symptomatic and functional outcomes.MethodA total of 36 CHR‐P individuals were rated on attenuated positive symptoms and functioning at baseline and each week during CHR‐P step‐based treatment.ResultsLinear mixed‐effects models revealed that attenuated positive symptoms decreased during the study period, while functioning did not significantly change. When examining baseline predictors, a significant group‐by‐time interaction emerged whereby CHR‐P individuals with more psychiatric comorbidities at baseline (indicating greater clinical complexity) improved in functioning during the study period relative to CHR‐P individuals with fewer comorbidities.ConclusionIndividual differences in clinical complexity may predict functional response during the early phases of CHR‐P treatment.