FOCUS ON DAY-TO-DAY LIFE

The CHUM’s Young Adult Psychotics Clinic (JAP) is made up of an interdisciplinary team devoted to early detection and treatment of psychosis among young adults (18-30 years old). Patients are seen quickly and often, which in many cases means daily visits during the first weeks to develop a personalized treatment program. Whatever the program, therapy is both intensive and specialized. Many of these therapies are part of a clinical research program directed by the CRCHUM’s Dr Abdel-Baki that seeks to help patients in all aspects of their lives rather than relying solely on medication. One aspect of this approach — vocational intervention — seeks to support patients in their efforts to remain productive, be it with regard to their job, school or as a parent at home. “Untreated psychosis has a major psychosocial impact,” notes Dr Abdel-Baki, “people lose their job and friends because of their symptoms, which in turn affects how they function.” Simply put, helping patients  maintain a significant social role in their day-to-day lives goes a long way to managing their condition.

The results of Abdel-Baki‘s study, which measured the effectiveness of this therapy with regard to the rate of productive activity, revealed that this rate went from 47.5% to 70% in 24 months, reaching a level comparable to that of the general population in Montreal for the same age group.

DRUG CONSUMPTION

Another aspect studied by Dr Abdel-Baki is drug and alcohol consumption before and during treatment, especially among the 55% of patients with a substance use problem. Her results reveal that drug or alcohol consumption prior to treatment has fewer  consequences than continued use during therapy. Patients with a substance use problem do not respond as well to treatment and  have to be hospitalized more often than patients who have never consumed drugs or alcohol or who have ceased while being treated. “It is clear that special intervention strategies have to be developed for these patients,” notes Dr Abdel-Baki.

 MEDICATION COMPLIANCE

The primary cause of relapse and increased severity of psychotic disorders among patients is the failure to take the prescribed medication. However, the reasons for this failure are poorly documented. The current research project of Dr Abdel-Baki and her colleague Dr Laurence Artaud seeks to understand what motivates patients to take or not take their medication. Her approach involves studying how patients view their treatment as well as their disorder.

WOUNDED SOULS

Treating psychosis is a long-term process requiring complete and specialized support. Dr Abdel-Baki makes the following comparison: “a long-distance runner with a damaged knee cannot run a marathon the next day. He or she first needs to undergo physiotherapy to relearn how to walk. At our clinic, that’s what we do, you could call it physiotherapy for the soul.” As a researcher and physician, her work consists of refining treatment strategies to help wounded souls.