@article{ref1,
title="Driving skills in unmedicated first- and recurrent-episode schizophrenic patients",
journal="European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience",
year="2015",
author="Segmiller, Felix M. and Buschert, Verena and Laux, Gerd and Nedopil, N. and Palm, Ulrich and Furjanic, Katharina and Zwanzger, Peter and Brunnauer, Alexander",
volume="267",
number="1",
pages="83-88",
abstract="The present study was designed to examine driving skills according to regulations of the German guidelines for road and traffic safety in unmedicated schizophrenic inpatients. A total of 13 first-episode (FES) and 13 recurrent-episode (RES) schizophrenic inpatients were included in the analysis and compared with a group of 20 healthy controls (HC). Data were collected with the computerised Wiener Testsystem measuring visual perception, reactivity and stress tolerance, concentration and vigilance. Analysis of data indicates that a great proportion (58 %) of schizophrenic patients were impaired in psychomotor functions related to driving skills. FES and RES significantly differed with respect to driving ability with a greater proportion in the FES (38 %) showing severe impairments when compared with RES (25 %). Differences with respect to HC performance were most pronounced in concentration and for the FES additionally in visual perception. Analysis of our data indicates that a great proportion of schizophrenic patients are impaired in psychomotor functions related to driving skills that cannot be attributed to adverse side effects of psychopharmacological treatment. Besides, we cannot confirm a chronical decline of psychomotor functions related to driving skills at least in the early course of schizophrenic illness.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0940-1334",
doi="10.1007/s00406-015-0647-4",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00406-015-0647-4"
}