[Effect of combined pharmaco- and psychotherapy in schizophrenia ambulatory care on rehospitalization incidents and treatment costs].

For a total of 89 outpatients of a schizophrenia outpatient clinic, the times of hospitalization up to 5 years before treatment in this institution, have been compared to the frequency of rehospitalization within up to 5 years of posthospital care. This treatment contained between 1 1/2 and 2 years neuroleptic medication (one half as long-term prophylaxis, the other half as interval medication) and psychotherapy in form of single talk of partly in groups for patients and their relatives. Thru this, the duration of hospitalization, before 10 weeks by average per anno, could be reduced to 2.1 weeks yearly. Time-intensive and multi-dimensional posthospital care able to reduce the duration of hospitalizations essentially. This has also a positive influence on the total costs of treatment. The positive effect lasts only in part, by the end of posthospital care the times of rehospitalization increase slightly, especially by repeated sick patients.