Dr. Centorrino Replies

To the Editor: We agree that polypharmacy, including treatment with multiple psychotropic medications not limited to antipsychotics, is a major concern in the field of psychiatry today and one that warrants both consideration and further study. While our focus in our article was primarily on the use of antipsychotic medication, we are writing a second report using the same subject group that examines combination therapy in particular and includes information on combination psychotropic medication in general. The results presented in this report will highlight the increasing prevalence of combination therapy and compare the possible effects of combination versus monotherapy in factors such as length of inpatient stay, clinical status, and side effects. We maintain, however, that further study into the use and outcome of polypharmacy is necessary.