To examine the efficacy of risperidone, a new antipsychotic with combined serotonergic-dopaminergic antagonism, in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia in state facilities.
Methods:
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) evaluations were performed on 21 patients with schizophrenia who had received risperidone therapy for 10 weeks in a state facility.
Results:
Five patients showed a 20% reduction on their pretreatment BPRS score. A corresponding number of patients showed an increased BPRS score during treatment, and the remainder attained a modest reduction (2–17%) in symptoms on the BPRS.
Conclusions:
Although risperidone was an effective antipsychotic for patients with chronic treatment-resistant schizophrenia, only a subgroup of these patients achieved substantial clinical improvement over a 10-week period.
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