[Discontinuation of antipsychotic drugs in chronic schizophrenic patients. II. Psychological and psychopathological test differences between patients with and without relapse]

Abstract

After the discontinuation of the neuroleptic treatment (open design), 10 out of 30 hospitalized chronic schizophrenic patients showed before the end of 4 weeks a significant increase of their symptomatology. This deterioration made the application of neuroleptics necessary. Before the discontinuation of the neuroleptic treatment the group of patients with later relapse and the group without relapse showed only slight differences concerning psychopathological symptoms but significant differences concerning test performance. After 2 weeks without medication a pronounced impairment of performance was found in patients with later relapse. At this time the two groups showed no more significant differences in the psychological tests. At the same time significant differences concerning the psychopathological symptoms had developed.