E. Tuninger et S. Levander, LONG-TERM OUTCOME OF DEPOT NEUROLEPTIC MAINTENANCE TREATMENT AMONG CHRONIC PSYCHOTIC-PATIENTS, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica, 96(5), 1997, pp. 347-353
A total of 51 chronic psychotic out-patients, with a median age of 51
years and median duration of psychosis of 23 years, treated with depot
neuroleptics, entered a 5-year follow-up study with assessments of sy
mptoms, side-effects and plasma concentration of the depot drug (follo
w-up (FU) patients). The outcome for 38 non-eligible (NE) patients was
obtained from hospital case reports. The relapse rate was higher for
NE than for FU patients (71% vs. 50%). The mortality rate was 9%, and
the median age at death was 47 years. Half of the FU patients complete
d 3 years of treatment uneventfully. Of the total of 89 patients, only
18% remained stable over a period of 5 years. The depot dose was appr
oximately the same after 3 years (median 255 mg, range 50-1018 mg chlo
rpromazine equivalents).