FACTORS INFLUENCING RELAPSE AMONG PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AT FEDERAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, DAWANAU, KANO STATE, NIGERIA

The aim of this 10-year retrospective study was to determine the factorsassociated with relapse in patients with schizophrenia at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Dawanau, Kano State, Nigeria between January, 2013 and December, 2023. Schizophrenia is characterized by cognitive and emotional dysfunctions including delusions and hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and inappropriate emotions. Multiple schizophrenic relapses devastate the lives of both the patients and their families. The study identified the prevalence of schizophrenic relapse, identified the factors influencing relapses and determined the treatments/management strategies for schizophrenia in the facility. Convenience sampling method was used to select hospital case notes of 326 relapsed patients (156 (47.9%) males and 170 (52.1%) females). Data were collected using a researcher-designed checklist. The prevalence rate of relapse was 63.8%. Poor medication compliance (36.5%), substance abuse (19.6%), co-morbid mental illnesses (8.6%), and stressful life events (13.5%) were associated with schizophrenic relapse in the facility. Psychotherapy and other psychosocial approaches (such as Community Mental Health Services [CMS]) were lacking in the treatment approach. Clinical psychologists were not in the hospital mental health team. Employment of clinical psychologists and implementation CMS in the hospital were recommended. Deficient data recordings in the patents’ case notes and hospital admission and discharge registers, difficulty in retrieving patients’ case notes were some of the limitations of the study. Improved documentation methods and use of electronic documentation, was recommended. Further research on the nature of each of the factors influencing schizophrenic relapse was recommended