A preliminary study is presented, involving 34 schizophrenic children, 6 to 12 years of age, who were carefully observed following discontinuation of active neuroleptic treatment to ascertain the clinical effects of drug withdrawal. The children had been on maintenance therapy for periods of 6 to 15 months. Five neuroleptics were involved: fluphenazine, haloperidol, thioridazine, trifluoperazine, and thiothixene. All but two children suffered massive clinical relapse within 1 to 2 weeks after drug withdrawal. Fourteen of the children exhibited neurological withdrawal emergent symptoms (WES) characterized by involuntary movements and ataxia. In half the children the WES remitted spontaneously. In the remainder, symptoms disappeared within two weeks of resumption of active treatment with another neuroleptic. The findings are discussed in relation to the syndrome of tardive dyskinesia observed in adult schizophrenics.
This study was supported in part by Grant MH 18180 from The National Institute of Mental Health, United States Public Health Service.
Portions of this paper were presented at the annual meeting of the Early Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (ECDEU) of the National Institute of Mental Health, Baltimore, Md., June, 1972.