Treating Anxiety to PrevEnt Relapse in Schizophrenia (TAPERS) - a feasibility trial

End of project summary

• Individuals who experience psychotic illnesses frequently relapse, despite the best available treatment. Anxiety and depressive symptoms often occur in psychotic illnesses and may precede relapses.  
   
• Before completing a large clinical trial, we wanted to establish whether adding antidepressant medication to treatment as usual in early psychosis was feasible and acceptable to patients.  
   
• Participants were adults who had a diagnosis of a psychotic illness within the last seven years, recruited through NHS services.  
   
• After consenting to take part, participants were asked to complete questionnaires about their health and were randomly allocated to receive either sertraline (an antidepressant) or a placebo for 22 weeks in addition to their usual treatment, with a follow-up at 24 weeks. 
   
• Neither the participant, their family or psychiatrist knew whether they would be taking the antidepressant or the placebo.  
   
• Participants were given questionnaires during this time to measure their health and well-being. They also took part in an interview to talk about their experience of the trial