Comparative Study of Aripiprazole, Quetiapine and Ziprasidone in the Treatment of First Episode Nonaffective Psychosis

The selection of antipsychotic in early stages of the illness is mainly determined by its clinical effectiveness. Second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are the first line drug treatment for individuals suffering from schizophrenia. It is clear that SGAs are not a homogeneous group and clinical effects and profile of side effects differ between SGAs. Differences among antipsychotics in terms of effectiveness have turned out to be a topic of increasing research interest, although comparisons between the different SGAs are scarce. In first episode of psychosis, SGAs have shown a higher treatment effectiveness compared to first generation antipsychotics (FGAs) (findings primarily driven by Haloperidol). Less evident seems to be the notion that some of the SGAs might be more effective (in terms of treatment discontinuation) than others. Most of the medium-term randomized studies have shown similar rates of all-cause treatment discontinuation in first episode patients treated with different SGAs. It may be concluded that more randomized controlled trails should be accomplished to determine the position of frequently used SGAs in clinical practice. The investigators undertook this study with the major objective of comparing the clinical effectiveness of three widely utilized SGAs (Aripiprazole, Ziprasidone and Quetiapine) in the acute treatment of first-episode non-affective psychosis individuals.