Are children and adolescents with schizophrenia diagnosed early and treated optimally? - An investigation based on health claims data
Description
- Children and adolescents with schizophrenia are particularly impaired in their psychosocial development due to the early onset of the illness and achieve many important developmental steps (e.g. school education, occupational and social integration) only with a delay or not at all. Compared to children and adolescents with other mental disorders, they also have the worst prognosis and the highest suicide rate. Due to the often difficult diagnosis in view of the sometimes unspecific symptoms and the often only moderate adherence to drug therapy in adolescence, there is a clear risk of underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis for children and adolescents with the illness, as well as underuse with regard to optimal psychotherapeutic and drug treatment. However, the extent of this risk has never been investigated in Germa-ny. This project aims to close this important research gap and analyze the extent of medical underdiagnosis and -care of children and adolescents with schizophrenia for the first time. The aim is to create a basis for improving care for this particularly vulnerable patient group. In addition, by analyzing the symptoms preceding a schizophrenia diagnosis, the early detection of children and adolescents with schizophrenia is to be improved. This can subsequently contribute significantly to timely treatment and thus to a more favorable prognosis of the disease.
Funding period
- Begin: January 2024
End: December 2024
Sponsor
- Goethe University Frankfurt am Main