Treatment Response in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is characterized by a differential response to antipsychotic treatment based on stage of illness, with evidence that shorter duration of untreated psychosis is associated with greater antipsychotic response. The aim of the study was to assess the clinical response to clozapine. The patients included in this study were those participating in a prospectively designed clozapine monitoring program (n = 202 subjects) who completed at least 52 weeks of treatment and had complete data records at Psychiatric Hospital, University Hospital Centre ?Mother Theresa? in Tirana, Albania over the period 2013 -2014. In the study participated 102 subjects with a mean age 44.2 (?10.7) years with a range 22-74 years old. Thirty five (34.3%) were women and 67 (65.7%) men meeting both DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and Kane's criteria for drug-resistance.27 (26.8%) patients were classified as responders, 45 (44%) being refractory (Clozapine responders) and 30 (29.2%) super-refractory. The super-refractory group had the highest scores for totals of BPRS (pless than0.01) in all visits. Treatment resistant schizophrenia remains a major personal tragedy and a public health problem.