Differences in latency to first pharmacological treatment (duration of untreated illness) in anxiety disorders: a study on patients with panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive–compulsive disorder

Abstract

Present results indicate that patients with different anxiety disorders may wait for years (from 3 up to 8) before receiving a first adequate pharmacological treatment. Differences in terms of age at onset, age at the first pharmacological treatment and, ultimately, in DUI in specific anxiety disorders may depend on multiple clinical and environmental factors. Latency to non-pharmacological interventions (e.g. psychoeducation and different forms of psychotherapy) needs to be addressed and correlated with DUI in future studies.

Reduced duration of untreated illness over time in patients with schizophrenia spectrum, mood and anxiety disorders

“…As conventionally accepted, the DUI was defined as the time interval elapsing – in months – between the onset of the disorder and the administration of the first pharmacological treatment, in compliant subjects, at appropriate dosage and for an adequate period of time, in agreement with recently updated international treatment guidelines …”

Access and latency to first antipsychotic treatment in Italian patients with schizophrenia and other schizophrenic spectrum disorders across different epochs

“…As conventionally accepted (Compton et al, 2007;Dell'Osso and Altamura, 2010;Dell'Osso et al, 2013), the DUI was defined as the time interval elapsing (in months) between the onset of one of the aforementioned disorders and the administration of the first antipsychotic treatment, at appropriate dosage and for an adequate period of time, in compliant subjects, in agreement with recently updated international treatment guidelines (in the field of SKZ and SSDs, for the purpose of the present study) (Hasan et al, 2012;Hasan et al, 2013).…”

“…Nonetheless, SKZ and SSDs may often be under-diagnosed and belatedly treated with antipsychotics (McGrath and Susser, 2009), with a consequent prolonged duration of untreated illness (DUI). DUI is defined as the time elapsing between the psychopathological onset of a specific disorder and the administration of the first pharmacological treatment, at standard dosages and for an adequate period of time, in compliant subjects (Dell'Osso et al, 2013). Sociocultural factors have a significant impact on this variable (Chang et al, 2012;Dell'Osso et al, 2013).…”

Factors characterizing access and latency to first pharmacological treatment in Italian patients with schizophrenia, mood, and anxiety spectrum disorders

“…As conventionally accepted (Compton et al, 2007;Dell'Osso and Altamura, 2010;Dell'Osso et al, 2013a), DUI was defined as the time intervalin monthsbetween the onset of the disorder and the administration of the first pharmacological treatment (e.g. antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or antipsychotics), at an appropriate dosage and for an adequate period of time, in agreement with recently updated international treatment guidelines (Bandelow et al, 2012;Grunze et al, 2013;Bauer et al, 2013;Hasan et al, 2013), in compliant patients.…”

“…After a previous investigation focused on the latency to pharmacological treatment, within the onset of different psychiatric disorders, it was found that the no-treatment interval (DUI), in relation to the onset of different psychiatric disorders, could be measured in years, with specific differences according to diagnoses and relevant consequences in terms of socio-occupational functioning, treatment outcome, and long-term course (Altamura et al, 2010a(Altamura et al, , 2010bDell'Osso et al, 2013a). In particular, from an epidemiologic perspective, large sample studies in schizophrenic patients found mean values of duration of untreated psychosisa variable linked but not totally superimposable with DUIranging from 8 to 48 weeks, whereas higher DUI values, comprised between 3 and 8 years, on average, were reported for mood disorder (MD) [i.e.…”