Clinical review of clozapine treatment in a state hospital

Medical records of the first 37 patients to begin clozapine treatment at a state hospital in Oregon were reviewed for six months before clozapine treatment and six months after. Patients had a long history of schizophrenia and had responded poorly to antipsychotic medication. Clozapine treatment was generally well tolerated, although the rate of seizures (8 percent) was slightly higher than expected. Psychotic symptoms decreased as measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, as did symptoms of tardive dyskinesia as measured by the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. Thirty-four patients remained hospitalized after six months of treatment. However, indicators of social function (hospital privilege level, community passes, violent episodes, and episodes of seclusion and restraint) all showed that patients improved markedly after receiving clozapine.