[Evaluation trial on the efficacy of neuroleptics on the outcome of schizophrenia]

Abstract

Feasible and ideal methodological conditions lacking, we have tried an evaluation concerning the efficacy of neuroleptics upon the course of schizophrenia by comparing the evolution of homogeneous studies before and since the neuroleptic period. On the short term, neuroleptics are significantly more effective than the placebo upon schizophrenic symptoms and prevent the relapses in an noteworthy manner. On the long term, the evolution is significantly better for follow-up studies treated by neuroleptics (60% of patients improved) than for the non-treated follow-up studies i.e. before neuroleptic period (27.5% of patients improved). The time of the follow-up has an effect on the course of schizophrenia. Before neuroleptic periods, the schizophrenic process beyond 6 to 10 years was either stabilized or worsened. On the contrary, since the neuroleptic period, the number of improvements continued to increase after 12 years time (79.5% of patients improved for the follow-up beyond 12 years time versus 60% under 12 years). These improvements include paranoid and hebephrenic forms. On the contrary, catatonic forms had decreased very much since the utilization of neuroleptics (they moved from 18 to 28% before neuroleptic periods to 2% after the beginning of utilization of neuroleptics). If neuroleptics have undeniable action upon the schizophrenic symptomatology, they also act, on the long term, upon the social course of schizophrenia (30% of social remission before neuroleptic period versus 50% since neuroleptic period).