title: Defining treatment refractoriness in schizophrenia.
abstract: The criteria for treatment refractoriness for the use of clozapine are necessarily set at a high level because of the potential risk of agranulocytosis with this treatment. However, a more liberal definition should be considered to better appreciate the limitations of current therapies and prepare for switching to the next generation of clozapine-like drugs that do not cause agranulocytosis. It is suggested that failure of therapy to bring about the best premorbid level of functioning be considered as a starting point for treatment-resistance.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Cleveland, OH 44106.
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Meltzer
mesh_terms: D002746:Chlorpromazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003024:Clozapine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
chemical_list: D003024:Clozapine; D002746:Chlorpromazine