Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is one of the most serious mental disorders, causing the highest degree of incapacity, economic cost and individual and family suffering. This condition affects 21 million people worldwide and in Spain the data shows that roughly 400,000 people suffer from this. Life expectancy for schizophrenia sufferers drops by nearly 20 years, due to the increase in physical health problems and a higher suicide rate. Schizophrenia generally starts in late adolescence or early adulthood, a very critical period in the social and professional development of a young adult.

The Schizophrenia Programme pursues the main aim of the multidisciplinary study of this illness, attempting to integrate research ranging from animal models to psycho-social interventions. All of this is intended to narrow the gap between research and clinical practice.

The Schizophrenia programme is the area in which most groups (12) are involved. This programme has the most extensive database: clinical, genetic and neuroimaging. Some major collaborative projects have been developed around this programme (non-commercial clinical trials, evolution of first episodes, genetics).

Lines of research

• Study of the follow-up and predictive variables in first psychotic episodes.
• Study of neurobiological markers (genetic, immunological and neuroimaging) of the different symptom-pathological phenotypes of schizophrenia.
• Study of the predictive response variables (neuroimaging, neuro-immunology, neurophysiology) to different pharmacological treatments.
• Researching the efficiency and effectiveness of psychotherapeutic treatments in combination with the usual pharmacological treatments for schizophrenia.
• Study of the repercussions of schizophrenia on the state of health, psychosocial adjustment, quality of life, levels of incapacity of the individual and on the patterns of use of services by these patients and their influence on comorbidity.

Groups