Sex Differences in the Clinical Presentation of Early Psychosis in a Primary Care Setting
Abstract
Psychotic disorders can be variable in clinical presentation, and there may be differences by sex. The objective of this thesis was to explore sex differences in the clinical presentation of early psychosis in the context of primary care. Our systematic review and meta-analysis found that men experienced more negative symptoms and had a higher prevalence of substance use issues, whereas women experienced more depressive symptoms and had higher functioning. Our electronic medical record analysis from primary care found that positive symptoms and substance use were less prevalent in the medical records of women. We also found that visits by women were more likely to be assigned a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, personality disorder, psychological distress, and other mental or behavioural disorders, and less likely to be assigned a diagnosis of substance use. Further research is needed to better understand sex differences in clinical presentation in the primary care context.