Subjective response to clozapine and risperidone treatment in outpatients with schizophrenia

The purpose of the present study was to compare the subjective response and attitude towards antipsychotic treatment between schizophrenic patients receiving clozapine and those receiving risperidone. Ninety-four outpatients who had been on a stable drug dosage were evaluated (clozapine group: n=57, mean dose=254.1 mg/day; risperidone group: n=37, mean dose=3.0 mg/day). Subjective response to antipsychotic treatment was assessed using the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI). The two treatment groups had a positive total mean score, indicating that both groups had a positive subjective view of drug treatment. The proportion of subjects who had a positive total score was not different between the two groups. In subscale scores, multivariate analysis revealed that clozapine group tended to have a higher score on the subjective positive response subscale (P=0.06). The scores of subjective negative response or attitude to medication subscales were not different between groups. In conclusion, there was no marked difference between stabilized outpatients taking clozapine and risperidone in terms of subjective response and attitude towards antipsychotic treatment. Considering that subjects treated with clozapine were treatment resistant patients, equal DAI score might indicate a more favorable subjective experience of clozapine. Further prospective studies on subjective response to various atypical agents are required to obtain valuable insight into how best to use these drugs from the patient's perspective.