Citation

Essali MA, Maddocks PD. British Journal of Medical Economics 1993; 6: 3-11.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The hospital files for 100 patients who had attended a depot neuroleptic clinic in 1975 were screened in 1992. The information extracted included demographic data, initial and final diagnoses, relapses and their relationship to compliance and to life events, and current social and clinical circumstances for patients who were still in touch with the service. For the 76 patients who had attended for ten or more years, the overall diagnosis stability was 70%. Manic depression and schizophrenia were more stable than psychotic depression and unspecified psychosis. Of the original 100 patients, 13 died at a relatively young age. Suicide does not account for this observation. Among the 42 patients who were still in touch with the service in 1992, more than 50% were married and/or employed. The current diagnosis for 34 (81%) of them was schizophrenia. Over the study period of 17 years, the course of schizophrenia was benign and remitting in 7 (20%) cases, and chronic and unremitting in 4 (12%) cases. In the majority of cases (68%), the course of schizophrenia was characterised by periods of remission interrupted by relapses. The present study emphasises the effect of compliance and life events on relapse of schizophrenia, points out the importance of continuity of care, and demonstrates the need for an at-risk register in everyday clinical practice. Further studies are required into the interaction of life events and neuroleptic medication, and into the effect of chronic mental illness on life expectancy.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescent; adult; human; female; male; aged; schizophrenia; psychosis; life expectancy; article; major clinical study; neuroleptic agent; retrospective study; life event; marriage; manic depressive psychosis; social aspect; medical audit; employment; patient compliance; demography; outpatient department; relapse; remission; fluphenazine decanoate