Active clinical trials for "Psychotic Disorders"

Obesity and physical inactivity have reached epidemic proportions, resulting in increased rates of a variety of chronic diseases, increased risk of death, and substantial health care costs. Individuals with serious mental illness are even more likely to be overweight or obese, which contributes to the high rate of co-morbid medical disease and early mortality found among this population. Specific individual and group-based psychoeducational interventions have repeatedly and consistently been shown to help adults with serious mental illness improve their weight. However, these require substantial time from mental health clinicians, and frequent visits by patients to mental health clinics. This creates challenges for patients who may need to travel to a medical center that provides these services, and who often have limited transportation options. It is likely that these barriers can be addressed with a computerized, web-based intervention focused on diet and exercise education, and tailored for veterans with serious mental illness. Web-based systems can deliver content that is intensive, engaging, and tailored to the needs and preferences of specific patients. Web-based systems can be delivered using computers at community-based outpatient Clinics or other settings in the community. The objective of this project is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based intervention to help patients with serious mental illness lose weight.

This is a 12-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of telmisartan 80 mg/day as an adjunctive to clozapine or olanzapine therapy, in 70 schizophrenia subjects to examine telmisartan's effect on glucose metabolism, weight, food intake, resting energy expenditure, and body composition. In addition, the study will examine insulin's effects on psychopathology and cognition. Potential subjects will be identified by their clinicians at the Freedom Trail Clinic, or Massachusetts General Hospital. Approximately 70 subjects will be enrolled.

The purpose of this study is to find out how effective lifestyle modification group therapy is on reducing body weight when compared to usual care in individuals with schizophrenia and/or schizoaffective disorder.

This study will test the effectiveness of two different treatments for children and adolescents who have gained weight on their antipsychotic medications.

Pregnenolone (PREG) is a neurosteroid, which displays multiple effects on the central nervous system, and may be beneficial in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. Our recent 8-week, randomized, double-blind trial among patients with chronic schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders, in which PREG versus placebo and DHEA have been added to conventional or atypical antipsychotics have yielded encouraging results with low-dose PREG (30 mg/day; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00140192; Ritsner et al., in press). The goal of the present study is to evaluate the potential role of PREG's augmentation compared to placebo in the treatment of young patients with newly diagnosed schizophrenia or schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorders. In a 8-week, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial PREG (50 mg/day) or placebo capsules will be added to the stable ongoing antipsychotic treatment of 60 patients with recent-onset schizophrenia or schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorders. Participants will be assessed at baseline and after 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of treatment. A battery of research instruments will be used for assessment of psychopathology, cognitive functions, side effects, general functioning and quality of life. In addition blood PREG levels will be monitored at baseline and during the study. The study is powered to detect moderate between-group effects on persistent positive, negative and cognitive symptoms.

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of intramuscular 10 mg olanzapine versus intramuscular 5 mg haloperidol plus lorazepam 2 mg in the treatment of acute agitated schizophrenic patients of Taiwanese populations.

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors are thought to play a pivotal role in neurocognitive dysfunction associated with schizophrenia. Further, several novel glutamate-based classes of compound are presently in development as potential novel treatments for persistent negative and cognitive symptoms. The study will assess effectiveness of a NMDA-based intervention on biomarkers related to schizophrenia as a mechanism for developing appropriate outcome batteries for future trials of novel compounds.

There is some evidence that anti-inflammatory treatment may have beneficial effects in schizophrenia and major depression. Cox-2 inhibitors have been tested in preliminary clinical trials for schizophrenia and depression, showing favourable effects compared to placebo (Muller and Schwarz et al 2009). Statins were introduced as cholesterol-lowering agents but have found much wider usage. They are anti-inflammatory agents and thus similar to the Cox-2 inhibitors, which have shown some ability as adjuncts to improve the symptoms of schizophrenia in preliminary studies. The statins are also known to decrease C-reactive protein (CRP), which has been shown in an SMRI-funded study to be elevated in a study of individuals with schizophrenia. Fan et al (2007) demonstrated in a small study in patients with schizophrenia that higher than normal levels of CRP (>0.50 mg/dl) was associated with marked negative symptoms and higher total PANSS scores. Ondansetron is a serotonin (5-HT3) receptor antagonist that is generic and widely used to prevent nausea and vomiting in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer. GSK did a small study on it as an antipsychotic in the 1980s. Since then, several small studies have suggested that it is effective as an adjunct drug in improving the symptoms of schizophrenia. Statins are widely used in schizophrenia sufferers, particularly those taking second generation antipsychotics, to treat hypercholesterolemia. Both drugs are well tolerated and their side effect profiles well understood. We propose to conduct a feasibility study in patients with chronic schizophrenia to explore the adjunct use of simvastatin and ondansetron on positive, negative and general psychopathology in comparisons to treatment as usual (TAU) over a 12 week period.

The purpose of this study is to develop a treatment manual for mindfulness meditation to be taught in a group format to individuals with schizophrenia who are engaged in vocational rehabilitation. This study will also determine whether mindfulness meditation is beneficial in terms of improving work function by reducing distressing emotional states and thinking patterns.

The main aim of the trial is to study whether a change of medication in non-responders to a two-weeks antipsychotic drug trial is more effective than continued treatment with the same antipsychotic. Hypothesis: Non-responders who are switched at 2 weeks to another antipsychotic are more frequently in symptomatic remission at week 8 than non-responders who stay on the same antipsychotic