Six hundred psychiatrists from private and public Spanish clinics registered the first four patients with schizophrenia seen at their offices during 2004. Sociodemographic characteristics, diagnostic criteria, clinical features, and therapy patterns, including adherence to treatment, were recorded.

A total of 2,154 patients were included in the study (86% ≤50 years old; 69% males; 79% unmarried), half of them had elementary school studies only while a 28% had a university degree. Male to female significant differences were observed regarding patterns of cigarette, alcohol, and illegal substance comsumption. A 69% of patients had paranoid schizophrenia, 13% presented with residual schizophrenia, and the remaining 18% had other types. The paranoid and hebephrenic types were the predominant types seen in patients ≤50 years old, while residual schizophrenia was most frequently seen in patients >50. When admitted into the study, 10% of patients were in an acute phase, 19% showed active symptoms, and the remaining 71% showed a stable disorder. Antipsychotic medications more frequently prescribed before enrolment were risperidone (29%), olanzapine (19%), and clozapine, quietapine, amisulpiride and haloperidol (7% each). The most common non-pharmacologic therapy prescribed to patients before entering the study was occupational therapy.

Patients included in this observational study were predominantly males <50 year old who presented with paranoid schizophrenia. Almost all patients had received antipsychotic medication before entering the study, mainly risperidone and olanzapine.