Clinical characteristisc and treatment outcomes of acute and transient psychotic disorders in inpatients at Hai Phong mental health hospital in 2025

Abstract

Background: Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorder (ATPD) is characterized by an abrupt onset, short duration, and generally favorable prognosis, but its clinical manifestations are diverse and often overlap with other psychotic disorders. In Vietnam, detailed clinical descriptions of ATPD in real-world practice remain limited. Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of ATPD in inpatients at Haiphong Mental Health Hospital in 2025. Subjects and Methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted on 95 inpatients diagnosed with ATPD according to ICD-10 (F23) from January to September 2025. The following characteristics were assessed: age, sex, family history, psychological stressors, reasons for admission, delusions, hallucinations, affective and behavioral disturbances, and PANSS-P and PANSS-EC scores at admission. Results: Males accounted for 64.2% (male/female ratio = 1.79/1); mean age was 35.21 ± 13.66 years, with the 20–<30 and 30–<40 age groups being the most common. A total of 18.9% were aged ≥ 50 years. Psychological stressors within two weeks prior to onset were reported in 35.8% of patients. The most common reasons for hospital admission were insomnia (90.5%), disorganized speech (86.3%), and aggressive behavior, including property destruction and physical assault (66.3%). Delusions were present in 55.8% of cases, predominantly persecutory (29.5%), being followed (14.7%), and grandiose delusions (12.6%); 26.3% had auditory hallucinations and 7.4% had visual hallucinations. The most common affective symptoms were emotional lability (49.5%) and anxiety (33.7%). Behavioral disturbances included psychomotor agitation (66.3%), bizarre behavior (63.2%), and self-harm (18.9%). The mean PANSS-P score at admission was 21.38 ± 2.38, and the mean PANSS-EC score among agitated patients was 20.1 ± 2.42.