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Use of Antidepressant Drugs in Schizophrenia

1978; American Medical Association; Volume: 35; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1001/archpsyc.1978.01770350094009

1538-3636

Samuel G. Siris,

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies

• This review surveys the therapeutic efficacy of tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors in schizophrenic patients. In general, the use of these drugs alone was found not to be warranted in schizophrenia, except perhaps in the so-called pseudoneurotic subgroup. In most cases, combinations of antidepressants and phenothiazines were not more beneficial than phenothiazines alone. In particular, the conditions of agitated patients and patients with histories of social deviance dating back to childhood were often made worse by the addition of an antidepressant. However, when the patients who demonstrated symptoms of clinical depression other than anergia were isolated from several of these studies, it was found that they constituted a subgroup that was often benefited by use of these combinations. Favorable and unfavorable clinical response patterns are discussed, and recommendations for future research are outlined.