Do clozapine and risperidone affect social competence and problem solving?

Author(s): Bellack AS, Schooler NR, Marder SR, Kane JM, Brown CH, Yang Y

Affiliation(s): Mental Health Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore 21201, USA. alan.bellack@med.va.gov

Publication date & source: 2004-02, Am J Psychiatry., 161(2):364-7.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Multicenter Study; Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of clozapine and risperidone on social skill and problem solving in patients with schizophrenia. METHOD: The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Maryland Assessment of Social Competence were administered at baseline, week 17, and week 29 of a multisite clinical trial. RESULTS: Despite evidence of clinical improvement with both medications, there was virtually no medication effect on either social competence or problem solving. CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the circumscribed nature of symptomatic improvement in the broader spectrum of clinical outcomes and suggest that new-generation medications may not be expected to produce substantial changes in social role functioning or social problem-solving capacity in the community. The generalizability of the findings should be viewed cautiously because of the low power of this trial, and replication is warranted.