Schizophrenia--a follow-up study of results of treatment. I. Design and other problems.
This is the first of a series of articles on a follow-up study of the results of treatment of schizophrenia, studied over a period of two to five years after first admission and first release. The study compares the follow-up outcome of five different treatment methods given to first-admission male and female schizophrenic patients in the hospital. The design of the study is used as a basis for description and discussion of the practical, ethical, and statistical problems involved. A distinction is made between follow-up and continued treatment design, and it is concluded that both pose massive problems in execution, analysis, presentation, and interpretation.
D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012107:Research Design; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors