Decisions About Drug Therapy: III. Selection of Treatment for Psychiatric Inpatients

Drug treatment decisions by experienced psychiatrists in a medical school setting were examined through analysis of symptom rating profiles for patients treated with different psychotherapeutic drugs. Multidimensional analysis revealed that the several drugs scaled along a major continuum extending from antipsychotic to antidepressant indications, with antianxiety indications in the middle region. Drugs within the major chemical classes were also found to be used selectively according to clinical conceptions of the degree of tranquilizing or sedative components in their total therapeutic effects. Clinical profiles representing the indications for antidepressant, antianxiety, and antipsychotic drugs were derived.