Do neuroleptics cause depression?

To investigate the etiology of depression occurring in the course of schizophrenia, 18 chronic schizophrenic outpatients with a major depressive episode were matched with nondepressed schizophrenic outpatient controls. There was no significant difference on mean equivalent daily dosage of chlorpromazine between the depressed and nondepressed schizophrenic groups. Thus, neuroleptics do not appear to induce depressive disorder in chronic schizophrenic patients.