Eric Yu Hai Chen

..To assess the characteristics and factors affecting course of schizophrenia in a Chinese rural area...

..Cognitive predictors of relapse have been extensively explored only in few long term longitudinal studies of first-episode schizophrenia...

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..A surge in suicide rates in middle age people in Hong Kong and many Asian countries was recently observed. However, there is a paucity of suicide research on this subgroup of people in Asia...

..Suicide prevention strategy may have to target potential subgroups with specific approaches...

..Cognitive dysfunctions have been widely pursued as target endophenotype in schizophrenia. We critically discuss the promise and limitations of this approach...

..To study rates of relapse in remitted patients with first episode psychosis who either continued or discontinued antipsychotic drugs after at least one year of maintenance treatment...

..The Psychosis Recovery Inventory (PRI) is designed to specifically address a number of closely related issues that are faced by patients who are recovering from a first-episode psychosis...

..We also studied the effects of pre-morbid adjustment, educational level, living alone, and mode of onset as potential determinants of the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP)...

..The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of phase-specific early intervention in first-episode psychosis...

..A higher level of neurological soft signs is related to a lower educational level and an older age at onset, but the level of neurological soft signs does not predict the outcome in terms of relapse or occupational functioning...

..The results support the notion of heterogeneity and diversity in neurological signs (even among soft neurological signs) and argue against the use of a single global measure to embrace all soft neurological signs in schizophrenia...

..The increased facilitation effect for patients in their early phase of treatment (but not later) may represent an acute effect of anti-psychotic medication. Its nature and significance require further investigation...

..Additionally, it suggested that an adverse impact of treatment delay for psychosis may likely be applied across regions of various ethno-cultural backgrounds...

..Overall, the data are suggestive of a state effect in semantic abnormalities rather than a trait effect. The correlation between degree of impairment and symptoms may explain previous inconsistent findings...

..Predictive validity of the proposed remission definition was under-studied. Relationship of remission with subjective quality of life (QoL) was inadequately addressed with inconsistent findings being observed...

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..The CapQOL demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. Further validation studies in people with psychosis as well as other mental disabilities are indicated...

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..In Hong Kong, this issue requires vigorous examination in light of a 50% increase in suicide rate between 1997 and 2003...

..We have examined the impact on suicides following the death of a famous Hong Kong pop singer whose death from suicide by jumping from a height, occurred on 1st April 2003, and resulted in extensive and often dramatic media coverage...

..The present study assessed the joint influence of lack of knowledge and motivated denial in schizophrenic patients' low symptom awareness...

..Ratio of lateral ventricle to caudate volume was bilaterally significantly increased (p<0.005, 2-tailed), which could represent an early biomarker in first-episode, never-medicated schizophrenia...

..Verbal working memory was a moderate predictor of the ability to understand treatment information. Decision-making impairments and negative treatment attitude were related to the decision not to adhere to medication...

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..This study was conducted to determine the population-attributable risk (PAR) of completed suicide among Hong Kong Chinese with axis I psychiatric diagnoses...

..Amongst various clinical parameters, the severity of depressive symptoms correlates most with QOL...

..Anti-psychotic treatment appears to be associated with striatal volume increase, but how early this change occurs is still unknown...

..The evaluation of adherence is often difficult in the clinical setting. This study compared patient self-reporting and clinician judgment of adherence behaviour in patients with early and chronic schizophrenia...

..The association with information subtest score suggests an effect of RGS4 on premorbid functioning, which may be related to neurodevelopmental processes. Further independent studies are required to verify our findings...

..Taken together, these results suggest that NGC may be a novel candidate gene, and neuregulin signaling pathways may play an important role in schizophrenia...

..This article aims to describe the Hong Kong experience in developing and implementing an early psychosis programme...

..There was also a trend for those patients at the upper quartiles to commit more error in a sustained attention task. These findings suggest that blink rate is associated with disinhibition signs in the present sample...

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..The study investigated the meaning of recovery to eight people with chronic schizophrenia...

..Specific intervention strategies for decreasing mortality and suicide should be developed for patients with schizophrenia in different age groups...

..Mood disorder patients, especially those with major depressive disorder, had more and more serious suicide attempts than the patients with schizophrenia...

..Early interventions focusing on reducing hopelessness and controlling positive symptoms may help reduce the risk of suicide attempts among patients with schizophrenia...

..Long-term mortality and the risk factors for premature death among patients with schizophrenia living in rural communities are unknown...