Cost Efficiency of Treatments for the Schizophrenic Patient
PHILIP R.A. MAY M.D.1
1 Clinical Director and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Neuropsychiatric Institute, UCLA Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, Calif. 90024
The findings of a controlled experimental study in which five treatment methods were compared by both clinical and cost criteria indicate that, for most schizophrenic patient, milieu care alone is both expensive and relatively ineffective. In terms of cost per patient released and cost per case treated, it is far less expensive to provide the most effective available treatment than to merely provide a good level of milieu care without special additional treatment.
