Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:1466-1470
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
A comparative trial of pharmacologic strategies in schizophrenia
WT Carpenter Jr, DW Heinrichs and TE Hanlon
Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21228.
An open comparative trial was conducted involving 42 schizophrenic
outpatients randomly assigned to one of two methods of drug administration:
continuous medication (N = 21) and targeted medication plus psychosocial
intervention (N = 21). The results, which suggest an extensive similarity
with respect to outcome for the two treatments over a 2-year period, argue
for the continuation of research on the relative effectiveness of the
targeted drug approach, particularly in cases judged suitable for drug
reduction strategies.
