The British Journal of Psychiatry 154: 406-409 (1989)
© 1989 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Comments on the Northwick Park 'Functional' Psychosis Study
GM Goodwin, DA Johnson and RG McCreadie
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park.
"Functional psychosis is conventionally subdivided into schizophrenia and
manic depressive psychosis. Response to treatment is assumed to be a
validating criterion for these diagnoses. The efficacy of pimozide (a
dopamine antagonist neuroleptic), lithium, and a combination of the two was
compared with that of placebo in a 4-week trial in 120 functionally
psychotic patients, each of whom was assessed for psychotic symptoms, manic
symptoms, and depressive symptoms. The sample was subdivided into patients
with predominantly elevated mood, predominantly depressed mood, and no
consistent mood change. Pimozide reduced psychotic symptoms in all groups
of patients. The only significant effect of lithium was to reduce elevated
mood. Thus dopamine blockade seems relevant to the resolution of psychotic
symptoms in all types of 'functional' psychosis, but the mode of action of
lithium in psychotic patients concerns only mood. Application of
standardised classifications of functional psychosis to these data did not
change this conclusion."