Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:284-289
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
Effect of drug ritual changes on schizophrenic patients
RW Burgoyne
The author evaluated the charts of 115 chronic schizophrenic patients who
regularly attended a follow-up group to determine whether changes in
long-standing medication regimens produced an increased dropout rate,
decreased attendance, or psychotic decompensation. He found that although
there were nonsignificant trends showing a relationship between medication
change and group attendance for individual patients, there were no
significant difference between group attendance and change or no change in
medication routine for the group of patients as a whole. He concludes that
necessary changes in medication routines for chronic schizophrenic patients
are safe.
