[A concept of social support for acute schizophrenic patients. Time series analysis of daily fluctuations of psychotic markers].

Findings of 12 single case studies which documented and analyzed the course of features typical in an acute psychotic episode during a milieu-therapeutic treatment are reported (criteria: DSM-III-schizophrenia). Three different stages in treatment are distinguished (relaxation-activation-integration). Each stage can be described as a decrease in stimulus protection with a concurrent continual increase in psychosocial demands. The purpose of this study is to verify whether stable differences in psychotic characteristics exist between the disparate stages, and whether stage assignment is sensitive to changes in psychotic features. The results of the statistical data analysis according to the ARIMA-intervention-model demonstrate a significant reduction in psychotic features in relation to treatment stages (10 and 8 out of 12 time series respectively). Hypothetical changes were specified as starting abruptly and as being permanent.