Review Article

N-Acetylcysteine for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Review of Current Evidence

Table 2

Summary of included reviews: N-acetylcysteine for schizophrenia.

Authors (Year)TypeInclusionNo. Studies (Study Size)Conclusion

Chen et al (2016) [26]SRDouble-blind RCTs of NAC in schizophrenia.Total = 2 (n = 186)Adjunctive NAC may be effective in reducing negative and general symptoms in schizophrenia.

Zheng et al (2018) [27]SR+MAAll published randomised RCTs of NAC for major mental disorders with meta-analysable data.Total = 3 (n = 307)N-acetylcysteine significantly improved total psychopathology in schizophrenia (SMD = -0.74, 95% CI: -1.43, -0.06; I2 = 84%, P = 0.03).

Abbreviation. Confidence interval (CI); meta-analysis (MA); N-acetylcysteine (NAC); randomised control trial (RCT); standard mean difference (SMD); systematic review (SR).