Standard Comprehensive Intervention to Treat First-episode Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is not a curable but a treatable disease by antipsychotics. Kinds of atypical antipsychotics are widely used since 1990s' in China. Although their efficacy for acute phase are all better than typicals, individulized regimen of them for first-episode schizophrenia and their effectiveness in real naturalistic clinical settings still remain unclear. And those patients also need more comprehensive intervention such as psychosocial programs to improve their function. This protocol is to conduct a study in several sites of China to investigate the effectiveness of comprehensive intervention combining sequenced atypical antipsychotic therapy and intensive psychosocial intervention for first-episode schizophrenic patients. In addition, this protocol also aims at collecting such information as molecular genetics, neurochemical test, neucognitive performance and neuroimaging for outcome analysis.

• Drug: risperidone
  3-6 mg per day
• Drug: olanzapine
  5-20 mg per day
• Drug: Aripiprazole
  10-30 mg per day

• Experimental: Risperidone, Intensive
  risperidone and intensive psychosocial intervention
  Intervention: Drug: risperidone
• Active Comparator: risperidone, basic
  risperidone and basic psychosocial support
  Intervention: Drug: risperidone
• Experimental: olanzapine, intensive
  olanzapine and intensive psychosocial intervention
  Intervention: Drug: olanzapine
• Active Comparator: olanzapine, basic
  olanzapine and basic psychosocial support
  Intervention: Drug: olanzapine
• Experimental: aripiprazole, intensive
  aripiprazole and intensive psychosocial intervention
  Intervention: Drug: Aripiprazole
• Active Comparator: aripiprazole, basiv
  aripiprazole and basic psychosocial support
  Intervention: Drug: Aripiprazole

Inclusion Criteria:

• schizophrenic patients diagnosed with DSM-IV criteria by SCID-I.
• age between 16-45 years old
• with disease course less than 3 years and during their first episode
• without receiving systematic antipsychotic treatment less than 1 month

Exclusion Criteria:

• organic disease or unstable physical diseases.
• brain trauma with loss of consciousness more than 1 hour
• current substance misuse (in 3 months) or any substance dependence.
• pregnant women.
• patients with severe suicidal imaginations or behavior.
• mental retardation
• contradict to the study drugs