Methods | Allocation: random, no further details. Blinding: single. Duration: until discharge or 6-12 months. Post-discharge follow up to 5 years. |
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Participants | Diagnosis: schizophrenia (clinical consensus); selected ‘middle third of prognostic spectrum’ (selection criteria unspecified). N=228. Age: range 16-45 years. Sex: male and female. History: first admission, ‘middle prognostic range’, not remitted with average 14 day observation period. Excluded: people who were assessed as unlikely to be discharged within 2 years, and those whose illness went into remission during 14 day average assessment period |
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Interventions | 1. Individual psychotherapy. N=46. 2. Ataraxic drugs (trifluoperazine). N=48. 3. Individual psychotherapy and ataraxic drugs. N=44. 4. ECT. N=47. 5. Milieu therapy and ataraxic drugs. N=43. |
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Outcomes | Leaving the study early Menninger Health-Sickness Rating Scale (HSRS). |
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Notes | ||
Risk of bias | ||
Bias | Authors’ judgement | Support for judgement |
Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Low risk | Randomised, no further details. |
Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | No further details. |
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) All outcomes |
High risk | Open study. |
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes |
Unclear risk | Study attrition not reported. Successive follow-up studies have diminishing sample size |
Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Unclear risk | No details. |
Other bias | High risk | Criteria used to select the “middle third of prognostic spectrum” not specified |