A follow-up study of schizophrenic outpatients treated with depot-neuroleptics

• 1.

  1. In the last years many studies have demonstrated that the maintenance therapy with depot-neuroleptics could reduce the readmissions of schizophrenic outpatients in comparison to short-acting medication.

• 2.

  2. Most placebo-controlled studies are based on a follow-up of only one or two years. In a “mirror-image” study over 5 years the relapse rates and the duration of the hospital stay of 78 schizophrenic outpatients treated with depot-neuroleptics were compared with these parameters under short-acting medication.

• 3.

  3. There was a high significant reduction of the readmissions rate and of the inpatient time under the treatment with depot-neuroleptics.

• 4.

  4. The demographic data and therapeutic conditions which influence these results were discussed.