The effect of baseline antipsychotic status on the 12‐month outcome in initially stabilized patients with schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION: Recently, the usefulness of antipsychotics has been challenged. The aim of the study was to measure the real-life effect of antipsychotic treatment on remission and recovery rates in already stabilized patients with schizophrenia after 1 year. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 133 stabilized patients with schizophrenia (77 males and 56 females; aged 33.55 ± 11.22 years). The assessment included testing at baseline and after 1 year with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Calgary Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, UKU, Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale, and General Assessment of Functioning. RESULTS: More patients were on antipsychotics after 1 year (increase by 16.45%). There was an increase in the remission by 75% and in the recovery rate by 66%. It was not possible to predict the outcome on the basis of baseline variables. DISCUSSION: There is an accumulating beneficial effect of antipsychotic treatment over a 12-month period; early lack of remission is not prognostic of a poor outcome. There might be different neurobiological mechanisms underlying acute and sustained response. Both remission and recovery are difficult to achieve for patients with schizophrenia and characterize only a minority of patients. Only a very small minority of patients (4.5%) that is impossible to identify a priori would do well without off antipsychotics.