Active clinical trials for "Psychotic Disorders"

Evaluation of cognitive ability in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder both before and after a switch from risperidone to aripiprazole may reveal some of the cognitive changes that correlate with the improved response, better side effect profile, and effects on other components of the negative symptom array. Further, examination of brain functional activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a verbal learning task, as well as behavioral performance and associated electroencephalographic (EEG) data of episodic memory, working memory and intermediate term verbal memory collected with the Sustained Attention and Memory Brain Function Test (SAM-BFT), may also provide data showing the neural correlates of these changes in cognition.

The overall purpose of this study is to determine whether a family history of psychosis is associated with an altered cannabinoid system. This will be tested by studying individuals with and without a family history of psychosis and comparing their responses to delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a probe of the cannabinoid system. We hypothesize, that compared to controls with no family history of psychoses, individuals with a family history of psychoses will have an altered response to THC.

Background: - Oxytocin is a chemical that the brain normally produces. It plays an important part in the way humans and other animals act in social and emotional situations. Adults with schizophrenia have been studied to see if oxytocin can reduce some symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hearing voices, feeling suspicious, and not feeling interested in daily life. These studies show that oxytocin may help. However, it has not been studied in children who develop schizophrenia. Researchers want to see if oxytocin, given as a nasal spray, is safe and can reduce schizophrenia symptoms in children. Objectives: - To see if an oxytocin nasal spray can reduce schizophrenia symptoms in children. Eligibility: - Children above 10 years of age who have childhood-onset schizophrenia, and have schizophrenia symptoms in spite of taking medication. Design: This study will last 4 weeks. Participants will stay in the hospital for the entire period of the study. Participants may also have an extra 2 weeks of study medication and 1 week of testing immediately following the initial 4 weeks. Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical and psychiatric history. They will provide blood and urine samples, and have imaging studies of the brain. They will also have tests to look at their social and emotional functioning. These tests will take 1 week to perform. Participants will have either oxytocin or placebo nasal spray twice daily for 2 weeks. At the end of the 2-week period with nasal spray, there will be 1 week with no nasal spray. All the tests of week 1 will be repeated. The optional extra 3 weeks (2 weeks with oxytocin and one week for testing) will be similar to the second, third, and fourth weeks of the study. All participants will have oxytocin during this period.

A single-centered randomized controlled trial with a parallel-groups design is utilized, comprised of mindfulness-based group therapy (MBGT) in the experimental condition, and treatment as usual (TAU) in the control condition. Participants in the experimental condition continued their regular psychiatric treatment (TAU) next to the participation in the MBGT. In order to evaluate possible psychotherapeutic effects, self-report and other clinical questionnaires including interviews and app-based assessments are evaluated before (T0), and after the four-week intervention (T1). Ward psychiatrists identify eligible participants and invite them to participate in the study. An eligibility screening is held by the study assistant at baseline, introducing the study, providing informed consent in written form, as well as conducting the self-report measures and app-based assessments. A blinded psychiatrist who works independently of the (co-) therapist conducts the remaining rater-questionnaires. Due to the psychotherapeutic nature of the study, information about the treatment allocation had to be shared with the co-therapist and the participants. Randomization was conducted by the Random Group Generator (pubmed, 2018). The data management plan includes standard procedures for data-handling such as using anonymized identification codes for patient data. The participants have the right to access their data, and the right to claim an annihilation. The data is being stored in locked cupboards, only allowing researchers involved in the study to access the data.

We hypothesize that the use of a visual decision aid tool to educate patients regarding potential harm with respect to weight gain with olanzapine versus perphenazine can lead to better shared decision making by patients, increase rates of antipsychotic switches and promote weight loss in overweight patients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder. Our specific aims are the following: To investigate the effects of a visual decision aid, versus care as usual, on patients' perceived difficulties in medical decision making regarding switching antipsychotics in overweight veterans with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. To investigate the effects of a visual decision aid and a shared decision making model on rate of medication switches (from olanzapine to perphenazine) in overweight veterans with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. To investigate the effects of a visual decision making aid and shared decision making model on BMI in overweight veterans who switch from olanzapine to perphenazine therapy.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ziprasidone in acute exacerbation of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, including patients with recent onset of symptoms

The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar I disorder who also have metabolic syndrome have a larger decrease in fasting non-high density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol levels with aripiprazole than with their current atypical antipsychotic treatment (olanzapine, risperidone, or quetiapine).

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of ziprasidone on the distribution of metabolic syndrome risk factors in a population of patients presenting with glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia and/or elevated waist circumference associated with their current antipsychotic medication.

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy and tolerability of Seroquel monotherapy for the treatment of Major Depression with Psychotic features with Seroquel plus Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor.

The purpose of this research study is to see how certain hormones cause changes in mood and thinking in some depressed patients and to determine the effectiveness of mifepristone in treating some forms of depression. This study is conducted in conjunction with an observational study "Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Psychotic Depression".