A reevaluation of milieu therapy for nonchronic schizophrenic patients.

Until recently almost all the controlled research on milieu therapy for schizophrenic patients involved nonintensive milieus and chronic patients. Under these circumstances the effectiveness of milieus was not evident. Recent studies have suggested that intensive milieus significantly benefit nonchronic patients. These studies have indicated the importance of defining what ingredients can make a milieu therapeutic. The existing research evidence is surveyed, and the nature of what some of these ingredients might be described.