The ongoing Treatment Strategies in Schizophrenia (TSS) study, a 5-site, 5-year collaborative trial, examines the efficacy of three medication maintenance strategies in combination with two psychosocial management strategies in the treatment of schizophrenic patients over the two years following an acute episode of illness. The study investigates the effects of three antipsychotic drug treatments: continuous standard dose; continuous low dose (20% of standard dose) ; and discrete targeted intervention with placebo maintenance. Each drug treatmen is studied in combination with either supportive family management, consisting of an educational workshop and monthly multiple-family meetings, or applied family management which supplements the supportive program with one year of in-home psychoeducational family treatment. Subjects are schizophrenic outpatients living with or in regular contact with their fami y of origin, who are identified for study during acute symptom exacerbation. The study also encompasses two adjunct protocols, """"""""Lithium Treatment for Nonstabilized Patients,"""""""" and """"""""Cost Effectiveness of Six Treatments for Schizophrenia."""""""" The Lithium study tests the efficacy of added lithium in th medication management of patients who do not stabilize on neuroleptic alone The Cost Effectiveness study examines the comparative cost effectiveness of the six treatment combinations offered in the TSS study. This continuation application proposes extension of the TSS study for an additional 3 years.
