Prevalence and predictors of treatment-resistant schizophrenia in a tertiary hospital in Northeast Brazil

Abstract Objective To investigate epidemiological factors related to treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) in Northeast Brazil, a region where data about mental health are still scarce. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study included all patients with schizophrenia currently receiving treatment at the outpatient psychiatric clinic of a tertiary hospital in Northeast Brazil. They were divided into TRS and treatment-responsive groups, and epidemiological characteristics of both groups were compared. A logistic regression model investigated factors related to treatment resistance. Results Two hundred and five patients were included, 155 treatment-resistant and 50 treatment-responsive. The TRS group had higher use of benzodiazepines (36.1 vs. 18%, p = 0.017) and antiepileptics (36.8 vs. 8.0%, p