Clozapine Versus Haloperidol for Treating the First Episode of Schizophrenia

Inclusion Criteria

• •RDC diagnosis of schizophrenia
• •Men and women, without regard to race/ethnicity,
• •Aged 18-45
• •Acutely psychotic with a score of at least 3 on one of the psychotic scale items of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) (hallucinations, delusions, conceptual disorganization) and a total BPRS of \> 21 (on a 0 - 6 scale);
• •Require treatment with neuroleptic drugs on a clinical basis;
• •The patient (or the patient's authorized legal representative) must understand the nature of the study and sign the informed consent;
• •Be within the first episode of a psychotic disorder;
• •Have a history of neuroleptic treatment of \< 12 weeks;
• •Likely to remain in the study for 2 years.