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Abstract
Schizophrenia is arguably the worst disease affecting humankind, costly in both social
and financial terms. In the current cost-cutting climate, the focus is on economizing
the delivery of health care, including reducing access to prescription drugs. Yet
decreasing expenditures on drugs for severe illnesses, such as schizophrenia, is a
false economy. Drugs account for only a small proportion of the total costs of treating
schizophrenia, with inpatient hospital care comprising the greatest portion of total
treatment costs. Thus the use of risperidone, a more effective but more expensive
antipsychotic medication, can decrease the total cost of care for patients with chronic
schizophrenia by decreasing the need for hospitalization. Fewer days spent in the
hospital also often means a better quality of life for patients. This finding is illustrated
by case histories of 3 patients, 2 with schizophrenia and 1 elderly patient with behavioral
disturbances of dementia
Keywords
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© 1997 Published by Elsevier Inc.
