Conference paper

GENDER, PSYCHOSIS AND PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS: DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES

Urban Groleger ; University Psychiatric Hospital, Studenec 48, 1260 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Virginija Novak-Grubič ; University Psychiatric Hospital, Studenec 48, 1260 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract

Acute psychosis is diagnosed by clearly defined operational criteria embedded into international classification systems. Many studies have tried to determine the role of gender in psychosis but mainly in terms of epidemiology and course of illness, most often schizophrenia. There are however also important gender-specific differences in clinical symptoms of acute psychosis. No guidelines
or treatment recommendations suggest gender as an important factor in the choice of antipsychotic treatment, which is true for all
treatment modalities (antipsychotic, dose, duration). We will review shortly available literature and present some of our own research data on gender differences in clinical presentations of acute psychosis. When the diagnosis of an illness depends almost entirely on symptoms and their presentations as in the case of acute psychosis, important gender specific differences might challenge
the diagnostic process as well as treatment choice and course of psychosis. Our as well as other data confirm that acute psychosis
manifest itself differently in males and females. To define further the impact of observed differences we need further research into gender specific clinical and not just epidemiological variables.

Keywords

psychosis; gender; symptoms; antipsychotics

Hrčak ID:

55854

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/55854

Publication date:

30.6.2010.

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