Polypharmacy in Psychiatry: Patterns of Differential Treatment

The authors studied 500 psychiatric patients who had been treated polypharmaceutically. The group was divided into thirds—one-third remaining on their original two medications, one-third on two placebos but no active medication, and one-third on one placebo and one psychoactive drug. While there were significant changes in patient pathologies, the female trend was different from the male. Analyzing the data, the authors conclude that polypharmacy, especially in men, is often an inadequate form of treatment.