Although some authors have suggested that pharmacologic treatment suppresses the symptoms of schizophrenia but does not alter the course of the illness or its potential progression, others have suggested that antipsychotic drugs in fact ameliorate the pathophysiologic process that causes psychotic symptoms and leads to clinical deterioration. Moreover, maintenance treatment studies have demonstrated the prophylactic effect of antipsychotic drugs in preventing relapse; treatment, then, may be responsible for mitigating the course of the illness and producing more favorable outcomes.