Blood purification treatment of schizophrenia.
In order to gather information about the usefulness of blood purification methods as a treatment for chronic schizophrenic patients, "mini-questionnaires" were sent to all European centers working with this method. The questionnaires consisted of two parts, one asking the psychiatrist about the disease itself and the evaluation of treatment, the other one asking the nephrologist about the specific method used. --A preliminary report, based on the evaluation of 53 questionnaires indicated--although far from offering conclusive results--that all schizophrenic patients did not profit equally from the therapy and that patients treated for less than 6 hours per week were not likely to improve. Implications for further research are discussed.
D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009398:Nephrology; D011570:Psychiatry; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires