Abstract
A random sample of one-third or 338 of the psychiatrists from the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society were surveyed. 48% or 162 completed a questionnaire composed of 10 vignettes, all describing the initial contact with an adult male schizophrenic outpatient who had been receiving chlorpromazine treatment and who showed no signs of tardive dyskinesia. The vignettes depicted varying durations of treatment, symptoms and courses of illness during prior treatment. Instructions focussed on the effect of the potential for developing tardive dyskinesia on decisions to continue to use chlorpromazine. We found that the primary consideration in medication decisions was to control active psychotic symptoms; a secondary one was to minimize the risk of tardive dyskinesia. When the psychosis was in remission, avoiding tardive dyskinesia was given higher priority than seeking to maintain the remission.
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