Pharmacologic Treatment Of Schizophrenia

This manual attempts to provide simple, adequate and evidence-based information to health care professionals in primary health care especially in low- and middle-income countries to be able to provide pharmacological treatment to persons with mental disorders. The manual contains basic principles of prescribing followed by chapters on medicines used in psychotic disorders; depressive disorders; bipolar disorders; generalized anxiety and sleep disorders; obsessive compulsive disorders and panic attacks; and alcohol and opioid dependence. The annexes provide information on evidence retrieval, assessment and synthesis and the peer view process.

A handbook for treating schizophrenia with antipsychotic drugs includes coverage of continuation and maintenance therapy and patient outcomes and economic evaluation data.

The introduction of antipsychotic agents in the 1950’s substantially improved the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. However, clinical and functional outcomes are still far less than optimal for patients, and have not improved in recent years despite the development of several new antipsychotics. Efficacy rates are further compromised by medication non-adherence, which has been reported to affect more than half of patients. In response to these issues, several non-pharmacological interventions have been developed for the treatment of schizophrenia, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive remediation, social cognition training and metacognitive approaches. Although these interventions have produced promising results, there is still much controversy regarding their usefulness and applicability in clinical practice. A major impeding factor for their dissemination is possibly a lack of sufficient evidence regarding their specific indications, mechanisms of action, adverse effects, but also practical issues concerning the interpretability of respective clinical studies, such as the choice of outcome variables and control of confounding factors. The present Research Topic includes original research articles and reviews addressing these issues.

The new edition of this popular handbook has been thoroughly updated to include the latest data concerning treatment of first-episode patients. Drawing from their experience, the authors discuss the presentation and assessment of the first psychotic episode and review the appropriate use of antipsychotic agents and psychosocial approaches in effective management.

Includes bibliography, glossary, and an extensive index which cross-references generic and trade names. New editions are available on a subscription basis.

Over the next 30 years, the number of chronically mentally ill people 55 years of age and older will double. With multiple disorders relating to mental illness and old age, this population will require unique services from a health care system that is ill prepared to deliver them. This is the first major multidisciplinary reference on this important topic. Coverage includes information on demographic and clinical characteristics of older schizophrenic persons, treatment approaches, research strategies, and economic and health policy issues.

Antipsychotic medications are a key treatment for schizophrenia and sales of antipsychotic drugs approach $20 billion per year, with fierce marketing between the makers of the drugs. The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health sponsored the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) project to provide independent information about the comparative effectiveness of medications. CATIE was the largest, longest and most comprehensive study of schizophrenia to date. Conducted under rigorous double-blind conditions, Antipsychotic Trials in Schizophrenia presents the definitive archival results of this landmark study. The core of the book consists of chapters focused on specific outcomes that set the CATIE findings in a wider context. Also included are chapters on the design, statistical analyses and implications for researchers, clinicians and policy makers. Psychiatrists, psychiatric researchers, mental health policy makers and those working in pharmaceutical companies will all find this to be essential reading.

Schizophrenia is often associated with an inadequate response to pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. How to treat patients who have an unsatisfactory response to anti-psychotics, including clozapine - which is unequivocally the most powerful antipsychotic medication for this recalcitrant population - remains a clinical conundrum. A range of adjunctive medications have been tried with mixed results; there has also been renewed interest in the role of neuromodulatory strategies, electroconvulsive therapy, and cognitive and vocational approaches. Perhaps a bright spot for the future lies in the evolution of pharmacogenetic approaches for individualized care. In this book, leading experts from Europe, Australia and the Americas provide a timely appraisal of treatments for the most severely ill schizophrenia patients. This clinically focused book is informed by the latest research on the neurobiology and treatment of schizophrenia. It is comprehensive in scope, covering current treatment options, various add-on approaches, and a range of psychosocial treatments. The contributors are respected experts who have combined their clinical experience with cutting-edge research to provide readers with authoritative information on fundamental aspects of clinical care for schizophrenia.