Medical file audit methodology was employed to collect information on 405 patients with FES treated at the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC), Melbourne, Australia.
26.2 % (n = 106) of the patients had moderate to severe depression at service entry. At service entry and at discharge, those with depressive symptoms had greater insight into their illness but did not differ from those without depressive symptoms in terms of severity of overall psychopathology. Substance use was significantly less common in those with depressive symptoms at service entry and at discharge. Of those who were depressed at baseline, 14.2 % (n = 15) continued to have moderate to severe depressive symptoms at discharge.
Depressive symptoms are common in patients with FES. Understanding the nature and characteristics of depression in FES has important clinical implications for both early intervention and treatment.