Lithium combined with haloperidol in schizophrenic patients.

Previously, the addition of lithium to haloperidol has been reported to be of modest benefit to schizoaffective patients. To test this treatment on a different sample, 36 mainly schizophrenic patients were subdivided on the basis of the median of their initial depression score on the BPRS into depressive and non-depressive schizophrenic subjects. Each group randomly received haloperidol plus placebo or haloperidol plus lithium for 8 weeks. The schizophrenic patients who were on the depressive side of the median BPRS depression score were found to be the most resistant to neuroleptic treatment alone, and benefited from the addition of lithium.