Schizophrenia and vehicle driving: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Introduction: The diagnosis of schizophrenia has, over the years, been charged with a historical process of transformation under the eyes of society. In this context, schizophrenia is seen as a degenerative disease, with progressive dementia, with global impairment of the patient’s functions and cognitive decline, generating, very commonly, a life marked by prejudice and exclusion, including in the area of ​​mobility with respect to vehicle steering. Concomitant to these data, there is a shortage of research work on car accidents in drivers with schizophrenia, although some studies point to a lack of a higher potential risk factor. Objective: The objective of this literature review for studies about the literature that bring information about the patient with schizophrenia and vehicular direction, seeking respondents may or may not be allowed to drive cars through mental / psychological examination. Methodology: A systematic review of the scientific literature on a relationship between schizophrenia and vehicular direction was carried out. Results: There are studies that suggest a greater number of infractions to the rules of traffic and traffic accidents in schizophrenic patients, but these data are not observed by other authors. There was a tendency for distortion of visual feedback in patients in relation to the general population, in addition to sensory processing errors. Schizophrenics who drove presented themselves better at mental state examination than schizophrenic non-drivers. The accident rates found were very similar in the groups of patients with psychotic disorders and control, and that in addition, injury rates can be equated with the general population. Conclusion: Given the data presented, evidence a relationship between schizophrenia and cognitive impairment. However, the studies traced can not be applied with solidness to the measurement of these mandates, nor they demonstrate the impact in the vehicular sense. In short, these patients become extremely important in the investigation, so that they are not unduly prevented from exercising the act of the vehicular direction. As more studies emerge, Traffic Medicine practitioners gain more theoretical grounding in their mental assessment.