Prevention of relapse in chronic schizophrenic patients.

New treatments offer hope for a reduction in the rate of relapse among chronic schizophrenic patients. The control of factors such as drug noncompliance, the dose of neuroleptic drug, the level of stimulation in the patient's therapeutic and home environments, extrapyramidal side effects, attention and arousal deficits, and the stresses of everyday life events can reduce the rate of relapse in most patients. A relapse rate of 65% to 70% in the first year following hospital discharge can be reduced to 40% with the use of antipsychotic medication and can be further reduced to less than 20% with the addition of psychosocial therapy. Low doses of antipsychotic drugs combined with psychosocial treatment can have an added positive impact on the quality of life as well.