INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF HOSPITAL TREATMENT BY PATIENTS WITH PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA - A PREDICTOR OF OUTCOME

The value of schizophrenic inpatients' initial global assessments of t reatment in the prediction of outcome was investigated. Within 3 days of admission, 31 patients with an acute paranoid schizophrenic psychos is according to ICD-10 rated on a visual analog scale to what extent t hey believed the treatment they were receiving was right for them. Out come criteria were overall clinical changes measured on the Brief Psyc hiatric Rating Scale and the Intentionality Scale. The patients' initi al global assessments of treatment were significantly correlated to bo th outcome criteria, indicating that patients with a more positive ini tial assessment of treatment ultimately benefited more than those with a more negative appraisal. The predictive correlations were independe nt of the influence of other variables recorded in the study. Patients ' initial global assessments should be taken seriously in clinical pra ctice and studied systematically in research.