Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.5
2.4
Journals
Healthcare
Special Issues
Biological and Clinical Aspects of the Treatment of Schizophrenia and...
share announcement

Biological and Clinical Aspects of the Treatment of Schizophrenia and Related Disorders: Second Edition

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 5860

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jose Antonio Monreal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Mental Health, Mutua Terrassa University Hospital, University of Barcelona, 08221 Terrassa, Spain
2. Neurosciences Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, CIBERSAM, 08221 Terrassa, Spain
Interests: schizophrenia; psychosis; affective disorder; psychoneuroendocrinology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For several decades, the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia has appeared to explain the neurobiology of the disorder, the biological underpinnings of treatment response, and the primary mechanism of action in antipsychotic responses. However, a significant volume of research suggests that other biological and neurotransmitter systems are implicated. Patients with schizophrenia exhibit marked positive and negative symptoms, as well as present cognitive symptoms and affective domains. Although antipsychotics are considered the gold standard, preclinical and clinical studies report that almost one-third of patients with schizophrenia fail to respond to standard antipsychotic treatment.

The present Special Issue aims to summarize new evidence pertaining to the role of biological systems interacting with dopamine and other neurotransmitters, and their implication in the occurrence of psychotic symptoms and treatment responses. The role of stress hormones and other hormonal compounds in the clinical presentation (phenotype) and response to treatment will also be explored. Articles presenting evidence regarding the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions in treating schizophrenia and related disorders are also welcome, with a special emphasis on treatments targeting emotions and cognitive symptoms. The impact of physical health on psychotic symptoms and vice versa is also a topic of interest in psychotic populations.

Dr. Jose Antonio Monreal
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • psychosis
  • neurobiology
  • clinical phenotypes
  • treatment outcomes

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

Jump to: Other

18 pages, 306 KiB  
Review
An Evaluation of a Women’s Clinic: The Healthcare and Learning Project of the Functional Unit for Women with Schizophrenia
by Alexandre González-Rodríguez, Mentxu Natividad, Bruma Palacios-Hernández, Rosa Ayesa-Arriola, Jesús Cobo and José A. Monreal
Healthcare 2024, 12(15), 1483; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12151483 - 26 Jul 2024
Viewed by 953
Abstract
Gender differences exist in mental and physical health in schizophrenia, and healthcare education is part of the associated clinical approach. The main goal of the present paper is to describe a women’s clinic for schizophrenia and carry out a narrative review about innovative [...] Read more.
Gender differences exist in mental and physical health in schizophrenia, and healthcare education is part of the associated clinical approach. The main goal of the present paper is to describe a women’s clinic for schizophrenia and carry out a narrative review about innovative healthcare and learning strategies in the context of women who suffer from schizophrenia, and to discuss innovative strategies for both healthcare and learning projects to be applied in this context. Observing the development of our unit, four clear innovation phases can be distinguished: the generation of new ideas (clinical and social needs), strategic planning (five observatories), the execution of these strategies (observatories/teams/interventions) and feedback, iteration and scaling. We found that the observatory for morbi-mortality adopted a retroactive proactive approach, and the observatory for hyperprolactinemia was proactive and deliberate. We describe the innovation aspects, both clinical and educational, as incremental. There was one exception, the introduction of a social exclusion and discrimination observatory, that from our perspective, was not gradual, but transformative. Future learning projects should include the role of social sciences and humanities and new technologies. Our pilot project gave us the opportunity to apply new learning methods to a relatively neglected field of care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Clinical Aspects of the Treatment of Schizophrenia and Related Disorders: Second Edition)
12 pages, 302 KiB  
Review
Grappling with Issues of Motherhood for Women with Schizophrenia
by Mary V. Seeman
Healthcare 2023, 11(21), 2882; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11212882 - 2 Nov 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1579
Abstract
Despite the fact that most persons with schizophrenia find steady employment difficult to sustain, many women with this diagnosis embrace and fulfill the most difficult task of all—motherhood. The aim of this paper is to specify the challenges of motherhood in this population [...] Read more.
Despite the fact that most persons with schizophrenia find steady employment difficult to sustain, many women with this diagnosis embrace and fulfill the most difficult task of all—motherhood. The aim of this paper is to specify the challenges of motherhood in this population and review the treatment strategies needed to keep mothers and children safe, protecting health and fostering growth. The review addresses concerns that had been brought to the author’s earlier attention during her clinical involvement with an outpatient clinic for women with psychosis. It is, thus, a non-systematic, narrative review of topic areas subjectively assessed as essential to “good enough” mothering in the context of schizophrenia. Questions explored are the stigma against motherhood in this population, mothers’ painful choices, issues of contraception, abortion, child custody, foster care and kin placement of children, the effects of antipsychotics, specific perinatal delusional syndromes, and, finally, the availability of parental support. This review is intended for clinicians. Recommendations are that care providers work collaboratively with mothers, take note of their strengths as well as their failings, offer a wide array of family services, monitor households closely for safety and for treatment adherence, appreciating the many challenges women with schizophrenia face daily. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Clinical Aspects of the Treatment of Schizophrenia and Related Disorders: Second Edition)

Other

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 3459 KiB  
Systematic Review
Efficacy of Horticultural Therapy on Positive, Negative, and Affective Symptoms in Individuals with Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
by Yi-Wen Lee, Tzu-Ting Chen, Chih-Wei Hsu, Ming-De Chen, Pao-Yen Lin, Yu-Chi Huang, Chi-Fa Hung and Chyi-Rong Chen
Healthcare 2024, 12(21), 2104; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12212104 - 22 Oct 2024
Viewed by 677
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and emotional disturbances are core features of schizophrenia. Although horticultural therapy (HT) has shown promise as an adjunctive treatment, evidence supporting its effectiveness remains limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of HT on [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and emotional disturbances are core features of schizophrenia. Although horticultural therapy (HT) has shown promise as an adjunctive treatment, evidence supporting its effectiveness remains limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of HT on total symptoms, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and emotional disturbances in individuals with schizophrenia. Methods: We conducted a search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to March 2024 across multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, CEPS, CNKI, Wanfang, and Yiigle. A random-effects model was employed to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD). Results: A total of 35 studies enrolling 2899 participants were included. Our results indicated that, in the short term (≦3 months), HT has moderate to large effect sizes on total symptoms (SMD = 0.690, 95% CI 0.463 to 0.916), positive symptoms (SMD = 0.695, 95% CI 0.038 to 1.351), negative symptoms (SMD = 0.681, 95% CI 0.395 to 0.967), depression (SMD = 0.646, 95% CI 0.334 to 0.959), and anxiety (SMD = 0.627, 95% CI 0.364 to 0.890), with more pronounced benefits for anxiety symptoms in patients with a shorter duration of illness. In the long term (>3 months), HT shows large effect sizes for total symptoms (SMD = 1.393, 95% CI 0.858 to 1.928), negative symptoms (SMD = 1.389, 95% CI 0.935 to 1.842), anxiety (SMD = 1.541, 95% CI 1.042 to 2.040), and moderate to large effect sizes for positive symptoms (SMD = 0.667, 95% CI 0.077 to 1.258) and depression (SMD = 0.707, 95% CI 0.198 to 1.217). Additionally, longer weekly treatment durations are associated with better outcomes for total symptoms and negative symptoms. Schizophrenia patients with more severe initial symptoms may be potential responders to HT. Conclusions: These findings support the efficacy of HT in improving symptoms and emotional well-being in schizophrenia patients. Further trials with more rigorous designs are warranted to confirm these benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Clinical Aspects of the Treatment of Schizophrenia and Related Disorders: Second Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 5098 KiB  
Systematic Review
Effects of Visual Art Therapy on Positive Symptoms, Negative Symptoms, and Emotions in Individuals with Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Shih-Cing Du, Chih-Yen Li, Ya-Yun Lo, Yu-Hsuan Hu, Chi-Wei Hsu, Chung-Yin Cheng, Tzu-Ting Chen, Pei-Hsuan Hung, Pao-Yen Lin and Chyi-Rong Chen
Healthcare 2024, 12(11), 1156; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12111156 - 6 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2077
Abstract
Schizophrenia is characterized by psychiatric symptoms and emotional issues. While pharmacological treatments have limitations, non-pharmacological interventions are essential. Art therapy has the potential to enhance emotional expression, communication, and health; however, the effectiveness of visual art therapy remains uncertain. This systematic review and [...] Read more.
Schizophrenia is characterized by psychiatric symptoms and emotional issues. While pharmacological treatments have limitations, non-pharmacological interventions are essential. Art therapy has the potential to enhance emotional expression, communication, and health; however, the effectiveness of visual art therapy remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizes the findings of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of visual art therapy on positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and emotions in patients with schizophrenia. This study reviews RCTs published prior to February, 2024. The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CEPS, CNKI, Wanfang, and Yiigle databases were searched, and three independent researchers screened the studies. In this meta-analysis, standardized mean difference (SMD) was employed as a measure to calculate effect sizes for continuous variables using a random effects model, while the meta-regression and subgroup analyses were performed with patient and intervention characteristics. A total of 31 studies revealed visual art therapy had a significant small-to-moderate effect on positive symptoms (SMD = 0.407, 95% CI 0.233 to 0.581), a moderate effect on negative symptoms (SMD = 0.697, 95% CI 0.514 to 0.880), a moderate effect on depression (SMD = 0.610, 95% CI 0.398 to 0.821), and a large effect on anxiety (SMD = 0.909, 95% CI 0.386 to 1.433). The subgroup analysis revealed painting and handcrafts had significant effects on positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and emotions. Combined Chinese calligraphy and painting had significant effects on positive symptoms, depression, and anxiety. Better improvement was noted among the Asian population, and a longer weekly treatment duration was associated with better improvement in positive symptoms. Female participants tended to have more improvements in negative symptoms and anxiety through visual art therapy. The results indicate that visual art therapy has positive effects on the psychiatric symptoms and emotions of individuals with schizophrenia. We recommend future research further investigate art therapy modalities and durations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Clinical Aspects of the Treatment of Schizophrenia and Related Disorders: Second Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop