Rehospitalization rates of patients recently discharged on a regimen of risperidone or clozapine

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine rehospitalization rates of people receiving risperidone or clozapine who had been discharged from state psychiatric hospitals in Maryland. Method: Rehospitalization status w as monitored for all patients discharged from state psychiatric facilities on a regimen of either risperidone or clozapine between March 14, 1994, and Dec. 31, 1995. Patients were followed up with respect to readmission until Dec. 31, 1996. Time to readmission was measured by the product-limit (Kapl an-Meier) formula. Risk factors associated with rehospitalization were exam ined. Results: One hundred sixty patients were discharged on risperidone, 7 5 having the diagnosis of schizophrenia. The patients with schizophrenia we re more likely to be readmitted than the 85 patients with other mental diso rders. Recidivism rates for schizophrenic patients discharged on risperidon e versus those discharged on clozapine were not significantly different ove r the 24-month study period. However, no patient who received clozapine and remained discharged for more than 10 months (N=49) was readmitted, while t he readmission rate for risperidone-treated patients appeared to be steady up to 24 months. At 24 months 87% of the clozapine-treated patients and 66% of the risperidone-treated patients remained in the community. No clinical or demographic variables were found to predict rehospitalization. Conclusi ons: This study demonstrates that the rehospitalization rates of patients t aking the second-generation antipsychotics risperidone and clozapine are lo wer than those in previously published reports of conventional antipsychoti c treatment.