Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T03:28:06.229Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Treatment models

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

M Lader*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
Get access

Summary

Antipsychotic drugs are used in a range of schizophrenic patients from the acutely disturbed to the chronically inert. Acute psychotic breakdowns usually involve secondary phenomena such as anxiety, depression and hostility superimposed on a worsening of the psychotic illness: a threshold of arousal is exceeded. This sets up a vicious circle which requires a major therapeutic effort to interrupt. Unfortunately, patients still relapse despite apparently adequate medication, suggesting only partial protection. Relapse is influenced by drug-related factors such as compliance and substance abuse, psychological factors such as cultural context, family dynamics and life events, and illness features such as poor insight. Treatment strategies, such as low-dose and intermittent medication, have proved disappointing. The most pragmatic model is the classic stressor-vulnerability model, but this does not explain the enhanced efficacy of clozapine.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier, Paris 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altamura, ACA multidimensional (pharmacokinetic and clinical-biological) approach to neuroleptic response in schizophrenia, with particular reference to drug resistance. Schizophr Res 1992; 8: 187–98CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birchwood, MCochrane, RFamilies coping with schizophrenia. Coping styles—their origins and correlates. Psychol Med 1990; 20: 857–65CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Birchwood, MSmith, JMacMillan, Fet al.Predicting relapse in schizophrenia: the development and implementation of an early signs monitoring system using patients and families as observers, a preliminary investigation. Psychol Med 1989; 19: 649–56CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bollini, PPampallona, MJOraz, MEet al.Antipsychotic drugs: is more worse? A meta analysis of the published randomized control trials. Psychol Med 1994; 24: 307–16CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, GBirley, JCrises and life changes at the onset of schizophrenia. J Health Soc Behav 1968; 9: 203–14CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carpenter, WT JrHanlon, TEHeinrichs, DWet al.Continuous vs targeted medication in schizophrenic outpatients: outcome results. Am J Psychiatry 1990; 147: 1138–48Google Scholar
Curson, DABarnes, TRBamber, Ret al.Long-term depot maintenance of chronic schizophrenic out-patients: the seven year follow-up of the MRC fluphenazine/placebo trial I. Course of illness, stability or diagnosis, and the role of a special maintenance clinic. Br J Psychiatry 1985; 146: 464–80CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, JMOverview: maintenance therapy in psychiatry, I: Schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 1975; 132: 1237–45Google ScholarPubMed
Davis, JMAndriukutis, SThe natural course of schizophrenia and effective maintenance therapy J Clin Psychopharmacol 1986; 6: (suppl) 2–10CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, LHaas, GWeiden, Pet al.Drug abuse in schizophrenics; clinical correlates and reason for use. Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148: 224–30Google Scholar
Donlon, PTBlacker, KHClinical recognition of early schizophrenic decompensation. Dis Nerv Syst 1975; 36: 323–30Google ScholarPubMed
Goldstein, MJRodnick, EHEvans, JRet al.Drug and family therapy in the aftercare of acute schizophrenics. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1978; 35: 1169–77CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawthorne, MBurns, TManagement of schizophrenia Hospital Update (July) 1993 397–417Google Scholar
Herz, MIGlazer, WMMoster, MAIntermittent vs. maintenance medication in schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1991; 48: 333–9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hirsch, SRBarnes, TREClinical use of high dose neuroleptics. Br J Psychiatry 1994; 164: 94–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hustig, HHHafner, RJPersistent auditory hallucinations and their relationship to delusions and mood. J Nerv Ment Dis 1990; 178: 264–7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, DAWFreeman, HLong-acting tranquillisers. Practitioner 1972; 208: 395–400Google Scholar
Kavanagh, DJRecent developments in expressed emotion. Br J Psychiatry 1992; 160: 611–20CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keith, SJSchooler, NRPsychosocial and pharmacotherapeutic strategies for long-term treatment of schizophreniaJA Costae, SilvaCC, Nadelsoneds International Review of Psychiatry Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press, 1993 229–62Google Scholar
Lader, MPsychiatry and life events: biological and social mechanisms. Triangle 1990; 29: 57–64Google Scholar
Marriott, PHiep, AA mirror image out-patient study at a depot phenothiazine clinic. New Zealand J Psychiatry 1976; 10: 163–7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meltzer, DHale, ASMalik, SJet al.Community care for patients with schizophrenia one year after hospital discharge. Br Med J 1991; 303: 1023–6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Offenkrantz, WMultiple somatic complaints as a precursor of schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 1962; 119: 258–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rajkumar, SThara, RFactors affecting relapse in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 1989; 2: 405–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sartorius, NJablenksy, AErnberg, Get al.The course of schizophrenia in various countries In: H, HafnerSearch for the Causes of Schizophrenia Berlin: Springer Verlag, 1987Google Scholar
Schooler, NRTreatment of schizophrenia: maintenance strategies and pharmacological tactics In: M, AlpertControversies in Schizophrenia New York: Guildford, 1985; 366–80Google Scholar
Schooler, NRMaintenance medication for schizophrenia: strategies for dose reduction. Schizophr Bull 1991; 17: 311–24CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thompson, CThe use of high-dose antispsychotic medication. Br J Psychiatry 1994; 164: 448–58CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ventura, JNuechterlein, KHLukoff, Det al.A prospective study of stressful life events and schizophrenic relapse. J Abnorm Psychol 1989; 98: 407–11CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.