Are Neuroleptics Effective and Specific A Review of the Evidence

In this chapter I will look at the main body of research on which current beliefs about the nature and efficacy of the so-called antipsychotic or neuroleptic drugs are based. I will attempt to evaluate whether the data from this and other research supports a disease-based theory of neuroleptic drug action in disorders diagnosed as psychosis or schizophrenia. 

Are neuroleptics better than placebo for short-term treatment  

Studies of the effects of short-term treatment show that being on a neuroleptic is superior to being on an inert placebo on measures of 

The concept of treatment-resistant schizophrenia, which was developed to delineate a market for the relaunch of clozapine, has lead to public acknowledgment of the extent of non-response to treatment with other neuroleptic drugs. It is now widely admitted that at least 25% of patients do not show any significant clinical improvement with drug treatment. A recent comparison of two of the newer neuroleptic drugs, risperidone and olanzapine, found that 46% and 56% of patients, respectively, did not respond after four months of treatment (Robinson et al. 2006). In addition, the majority of inpatients with psychosis are treated with other sedative drugs in addition to 

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