IntroductionA growing body of literature is focusing on third-generation antipsychotics and their unique characteristics, but few studies have examined gender as a crucial factor in response profiles. The present study aims to address this gap by analyzing the outcomes of 12-month naturalistic treatment with cariprazine to elucidate changes in specific psychopathological domains between men and women.MethodsThe present 12-month longitudinal naturalistic study involved a sample of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the DSM-5-TR treated with cariprazine at the outpatients’ psychiatric services of a major university and community hospitals in Italy. The assessments conducted included sociodemographic data, the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-5 (SCID-5), and the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) Total and Subscale scores, as well as the PANSS-derived Marder factors. The PANSS was administered at three time points: before starting the treatment with cariprazine (T0), after 6 months (T1), and after 12 months (T2).ResultsFifteen male and 17 female subjects were assessed at the three time points. The mean dose of cariprazine was 4.2 ± 1.3 mg for men and 4.0 ± 1.5 mg for women. Both genders exhibited improvements in all PANSS subscale symptoms after 6 and 12 months of cariprazine treatment compared to the baseline, with the only exception of the Uncontrolled hostility/excitement Marder factor among men. Progressive improvements through time points in symptom subscales were found in both sexes, reaching numerical differences in every PANSS subscale in both sexes at T2. Gender specifc response profiles emerged after 6 and 12 months of treatment in the PANSS subscales and items in men and women.DiscussionCariprazine exhibited significant efficacy in both sexes, with no significant differences between men and women despite a gender specific response profile emerged. Additional studies are needed to further investigate the efficacy profile and long-term outcome of cariprazine treatment by gender.
Radically different