Impact of neuroleptic chemotherapies on schizophrenic psychoses

The author reviews the impact of neuroleptic chemotherapy on various forms of schizophrenia in the 25 years since the introduction of chlorpromazine in psychiatry. The activities of the different types of compounds are related to the symptomatic and progressive forms of the psychosis, with an emphasis on the "dual structure" of the illness. Problems of drug efficacy, the need for new drug treatments, and methodological issues in research in these areas are discussed.