THE EFFECT OF INSULIN COMA AND E.C.T. ON THE THREE-YEAR PROGNOSIS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

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Abstract
"The clinical outcome, 3 years after admission, of a group of schizophrenic patients who entered the Bethlem Roval and Maudsley Hospital between 1948 and 1950 is compared with that in a similar group admitted to the Maudsley Hsopltal between 1934 and 1935. The 2 groups are comparable in all relevant respects and consist entirely of patients whose illness is of less than 12 months'' duration. A proportion of the patients in the 1948-50 groups received treatment by insulin coma, E.C.T. or combined therapy. The remainder had non-specific treatment. The 1948-50 group (particularly the catatonic and atypical subgroup) did better than the 1934-35 group, and analysis suggests that this favorable result can possibly, but not certainly, be attributed to the special physical methods of treatment. Other possible explanations for the different outcome in the 2 groups are discussed. The necessity for a controlled therapeutic trial of physical treatments in schizophrenia is once again demonstrated." (Authors'' summary.) 15 references.