title: Transition from acute to maintenance treatment: prediction of stabilization.
abstract: The stabilization period that follows the exacerbation of a schizophrenic illness represents a critical point in the course of the illness. Successful stabilization is a prerequisite to long-term tenure in the community and the possibility of improvement in functional outcome. In this paper we present an operational definition of stabilization, developed in the context of a study of long-term maintenance treatment that incorporates time, symptomatic equilibrium and consistency of medication dosage. Patients were identified at the time of hospitalization and followed prospectively to determine whether or not they met stabilization criteria. Characteristics that predicted successful stabilization included measures drawn from the domains of patient personal characteristics and psychiatric history, symptoms of psychopathology and side effects in response to initial treatment and family judgments. These patients were treated primarily with fluphenazine decanoate, and five distinct dosing strategies with this agent were identified retrospectively. The dosing strategies distinguished the length of time to subsequent stabilization. The implications of these findings for clinical management of schizophrenia are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Schooler
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Severe
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Glick
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Hargreaves
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Keith
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weiden
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001590:Benztropine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005476:Fluphenazine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D001590:Benztropine; D005476:Fluphenazine