Am J Psychiatry 1985; 142:822-826
Copyright © 1985 by American Psychiatric Association
Clinical characteristics of hospitalized psychotic patients who refuse antipsychotic drug therapy
JM Zito, WW Routt, JE Mitchell and JL Roerig
Thirty psychotic patients who refused antipsychotic medication were
compared with 30 patients matched for age, sex, treatment ward, commitment
status, and diagnosis who consented to drug treatment. Refusers were no
more assaultive or combative than consenters; they were less often
diagnosed as having schizophrenia and more often diagnosed as having
bipolar or schizoaffective illness. A comparison between 17 of the least
symptomatic refusers and 17 of the most persistent refusers showed that
persistent refusers were more likely to have a diagnosis of schizophrenia;
least symptomatic refusers were more often diagnosed as having affective
disorders or schizoaffective disorders.
