Social aspects of therapy with depot neuroleptics in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The authors compare 76 patients (50% paranoid schizophrenics, 30% residual psychotics) successively treated with oral and depot neuroleptics: the mean number of rehospitalizations has dropped from 2.5 to 0.8, while the mean duration of hospital treatment has dropped from 34 to 8 weeks (t test significant). The relationship between the type of treatment and sociodemographic data was analyzed by means of correlation coefficients and variance analyses. There was no relation of age, sex, age of onset, school background, social class and professional achievement, but a significant superiority of depot medication in single patients. The choice of the depot preparation depends on habits, scientific attitudes and year: in 1976-1977, fluphenazine decanoate was prescribed in 70% of all cases; but penfluridol, fluspirilene and to a lesser extent flupentixol decanoate were also administered. Depot forms make for 32% of all neuroleptics. There is no evidence as to whether long-term neuroleptic medication has a prophylactic effect on relapses beyond the third year of treatment; but, without these drugs, it would have been impossible to return many patients to their environment; social psychiatry has received a new impetus from depot neuroleptics; the size of psychiatric hospitals could be reduced by one-third.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005860:Germany, West; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D013997:Time Factors
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations