BEFORE 1955, PSYCHIATRISTS and psychologists had no effective means for controlling runaway hallucinations and delusions in people with schizophrenia. Patients who are distracted by psychotic thoughts are not open to rational discussions about their condition, nor are they able to express their needs. They are too absorbed by their symptoms. Today, improved antipsychotic drugs in many cases dampen psychotic symptoms enough to allow people with schizophrenia to benefit from therapy.