The Impact of Modern Drug Treatment on Old Age Schizophrenia

Abstract

When the results of our 3 years follow-through are finally analyzed, the factors of duration of symptoms and of age will have to be given full consideration. Preliminary assessment of early and late effects of phenothiazine treatment suggests that, provided therapy is given in high dosage and over a number of months rather than of weeks, only few patients with a Persecutory Syndrome of Old Age fail to improve materially or to lose their symptoms altogether. Though "insight" is not often achieved, there is strong evidence to suggest that this beneficial effect can be maintained indefinitely, and that modern drug therapy should have a considerable impact on schizophrenia as encountered in old age. There is very little to suggest that the responses to phenothiazine drugs may differ significantly as between "process schizophrenia" and "the schizophreniform psychoses", or between organic, "symptomatic" schizophrenias and "genuine" schizophrenia. As in younger age groups, the presence of sustained depression may very likely turn out to be a favorable prognostic sign.