[Effects and side effects of depot neuroleptics as perceived by patients]

A relatively wide acceptance of neuroleptic depot medication was seen among the patients of a large psychiatric hospital on the occasion of a survey conducted on a randomly chosen day. Patients described their experience of undesirable side effects. A basic common trait of disturbances of the feeling tone caused by depot neuroleptics was the simultaneous occurrence of conflicting emotions. Complaints by patients treated with depot neuroleptics about undesirable side effects can thus be better differentiated from their experience of the underlying psychotic disease and certain forms of experience that are typical of the personality concerned.