AN OPEN TRIAL OF ADJUNCTIVE SERTRALINE IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC-SCHIZOPHRENIA

While the positive symptoms of schizophrenia are amenable to treatment with standard neuroleptics, negative symptoms are often difficult to treat. Co-prescribing antidepressants, such as sertraline, for patient s on stable neuroleptic depot preparations is one pharmacological meth od of overcoming this problem. A total of 20 patients with chronic sch izophrenia were enrolled in an open trial over a 12-week period during which sertraline was added to their usual antipsychotic medication. P rior to this, baseline scores for positive and negative symptoms, and extrapyramidal side-effects, were measured. The addition of sertraline resulted in global improvement, with a significant reduction in posit ive and negative symptom scores and no increase in undesirable neurole ptic side-effects. Sertraline may act by indirectly reducing dopaminer gic activity.