J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2000 Nov;39(6):1143-1149.

Two-Year Naturalistic Outcome Study of Schizophrenics after Discharged from a University Hospital on a Regimen of Risperidone or Typical Antipsychotics

• Kim C
• Lee S
• Kang M

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
To explore the naturalistic outcome of the schizophrenics, we evaluated key clinical outcome-drop-out rate and readmission rate among the 33 risperidone and 17 conventional antipsychotics(such as haloperidol, chlorpromazine, mesoridazine) treated patients who met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia at psychiatric department of a university hospital. METHOD: Outcome data was extracted from the charts of 50-schizophrenic patients who were more than 2 years after initiation of treatment with risperidone and conventional anti-psychotics.
RESULTS
During over the 2-year period, the drop-out rate of the conventional antipsychotics treated schizophrenics was significantly higher than that of risperidone treated patients. But no significant factors(such as age, education level, duration of illness) were found between these two differently treated groups. Among the risperidone treated patients, the percentage of readmission was 18.2% at 12 months and 45.5% at 24 months.
CONCLUSIONS
Reduced drop-out and rehospitalization rate suggest that risperidone was better than conventional antipsychotics among schizophrenic patients in a university hospital. Our data may contribute essential functional outcome information to assist the clinician in long-term, comparative treatment evaluation in 'real' clinical practice.

Keyword

Schizophrenia; Risperidone; Conventional antipsychotics; Drop-out rate

MeSH Terms

Antipsychotic Agents*
Chlorpromazine
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Education
Haloperidol
Humans
Outcome Assessment (Health Care)*
Risperidone*
Schizophrenia
Antipsychotic Agents
Chlorpromazine
Haloperidol
Risperidone