A group of patients, initially 67 individuals, with chronic schizophrenia were studied on repeated occasions during 1 year and followed up after 3 years. The patients were given depot neuroleptics, either fluphenazine decanoate or pipotiazine palmitate, at intervals of 1 month. The symptom scores from three rating scales were subjected to factor analysis. Four factors were found to explain the variance satisfactorily: one comprising psychopathological symptoms specific for schizophrenia, one relating to contact disturbances, one psychomotor activity and one representing neurotic symptoms. Analysis of these factors revealed certain differences between the treatment groups over time and demonstrated the effect of combination of psychotherapy and neuroleptic drugs in a subgroup of patients. This type of analysis of treatment results might contribute to improving our knowledge of rehabilitation of schizophrenic patients and help us to draw up giudelines for selection of suitable measures.

Phase 3, maintenance period 2. This period lasted 6 months. As in phase 2, the patients received a monthly dose, which could: however, now be adjusted in amount if desired. Moreover, the monthly assessments were omitted, and the patients were instead assessed 9 and 12 months after the start of the trial.The trial was started in May 1971, and completed in June 1972. Patient selectionAll patients from the department who needed maintenance therapy with neuroleptics and met the following requirements were accepted for the trial:1. Only patients treated with long-acting neuroleptics. 2.The diagnosis should fall within the category of schizophrenic syndromes. Age between 18 and 65 years.4. Duration of disease: > 3 years; hospitalisation: < 10 years. Exclusions:1. Patients with toxicomania (alcoholism or narcomania) . Patientswith symptoms suggesting neurological or other somatic dis-3. Patients treated with high doses (at least 250 mg, single dose) of fluphena-orders. zine enanthate.Sixty-seven patients met the requirements and entered the trial. These 67 patients were matched for sex and age (10 year classes), and distributed randomly between the treatment series. Administration of drugsNo wash-out period was used. The first injection in the present trial was

A group of patients with schizophrenia, initially 67 patients, was studied over a period of 3 years. After three years 36 out of 67 patients were still on the same depot neuroleptic. The main aim was to describe and compare maintenance neuroleptic therapy using two depot neuroleptics, fluphenazine decanoate and pipotiazine palmitate, given monthly. Before the outpatient care the patients had participated in the department's comprehensive hospital treatment including depot neuroleptic medication. After a 1-year clinical trial with frequent assessments of the patients, significant symptom reductions were found on all rating scales. During the last 2 years of the study only drug therapy was given. Improvement concerning social function in the community and work level as well as the low-rated psychopathology noted at the start of study also persisted at the 3-year follow-up. The side effects were low in frequency and quality. These results show the clinical value of long-term maintenance treatment with depot neuroleptics. The results also confirm that the favourable effects of the hospital treatment demonstrated before the start of the clinical trial could be maintained. The possibilities of further improving aftercare and outpatient treatment beyond medication alone are discussed.

Eleven factors were obtained by factor analysing the CPRS results from a longitudinal treatment process study in chronic schizophrenics during maintenance phase. Such factors may give more reliable information than the single item. Two factors ‐ “anxiety‐depression‐asthenia” and “psychotic” (psychotic schizophrenic symptoms and signs) ‐ nonpsychotic rating of anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as definite psychotic‐schizophrenic symptoms, respectively ‐ demonstrated special value for the clinical work, i.e. being relevant instrument for monitoring a treatment process.