Randomization, allocation concealment, and blinding
The participants in the study were randomized into two groups receiving adjunctive treatment of spironolactone or placebo using a computer random generator as an unpredictable random method. A person who was not a member of the research team put the pills, which were the same in shape, color, and size, into two groups in separate envelopes. This person did not know the nature of the pills. Using a table of random numbers, based on the number of participants in the study, numbers were typed on special cards with the same shape, and each card was placed in a medicine envelope. The medicine envelopes were prepared in a sealed form.After the participants entered the study, each envelope was assigned to them based on the number written on it corresponding to the patient's number. During the implementation of the study until the time of discharge, the pills were given to the patient one daily in the morning by the special nurse who was unaware of the nature of them. After discharge, the rest of the pills were given to the patient's guardian to be given to the patient daily. The patient's guardian was also unaware of the type of drugs (spironolactone/placebo). Psychiatrists and patients also did not know about the nature of the pills. Based on this design, during the 8‐week implementation of the study, people who were not members of the research team randomly provided the pills to the patients.