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