Abstract: Objectives: To examine the prospective temporal stability of acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPDs) and analyze whether there are clinical, psychopathological, or sociodemographic characteristics that predict ATPD diagnostic stability.
Method: We conducted a prospective, 2-year, observational study of patients presenting a first-episode ATPD. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to identify independent variables associated with ATPD diagnostic stability. Well-established predictive factors of diagnostic stability, as well as all the psychopathological features included in the ICD-10 Diagnostic Criteria for Research (DCR) descriptions of ATPD, were analyzed.
Results: Sixty-eight patients with a first episode of ATPD completed the study with a diagnostic stability rate as high as 55.9% (n = 38) at the end of the follow-up period. Multivariate analysis revealed that diagnostic stability was independently significantly associated with the baseline presence of motility disturbances (OR = 6.86, 95% CI = 1.10?42.62; P = 0.039), the absence of hallucinations (OR = 5.75, 95% CI = 1.51?21.98; P = 0.010), and the absence of schizophrenic features (OR = 7.13, 95% CI = 1.38?36.90; P = 0.019).
Conclusion: A symptom checklist assessing these psychopathological features would enable early identification of those subjects whose initial ATPD diagnosis will remain stable over time.
