EARLY RESPONSE TO HALOPERIDOL TREATMENT IN CHRONIC-SCHIZOPHRENIA

This study examined the time-course of treatment response to haloperid ol in chronic schizophrenia. Furthermore the predictive value of basel ine psychopathology and early therapeutic changes for the identificati on of the eventual treatment outcome was examined. After a two-week dr ug-free period forty-three chronic schizophrenic patients were treated with haloperidol for five weeks. Psychopathology was assessed on the last drug-free day and on the third and eighth day from the initiation of treatment, and then at weekly intervals. At the end of the study b ased on a priori criteria patients were classified as responders or no n-responders to haloperidol. Seventeen patients met criteria for treat ment response at the end of five weeks of treatment, while 26 did not. Already by the third day of treatment, in the responders there was a significant decrease in total BPRS and in the subscales scores for psy chosis, tension and anergia, but not for hostility-suspiciousness and depression. These decreases represented approximately half of the even tual improvement obtained by the end of the study. Discriminant functi on analysis showed that severity of symptoms at baseline and improveme nt by day 3 correctly classified overall outcome in 72% of the cases.