Treatment

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The best treatment for any individual suffering from schizophrenia blends a combination of antipsychotic medications with psychosocial interventions. Psychosocial interventions include supportive psychotherapy, illness management skills, integrated treatment for any co-existing substance abuse, family participation in therapy and psychosocial and vocational rehabilitation.

People with schizophrenia who need a high degree of social services should receive assistance from an interdisciplinary treatment team.

Antipsychotic medications for schizophrenia can eliminate or reduce the hallucinations and delusions of the disorder. These drugs, which help restore biochemical imbalances, may also help people regain their coherent thinking abilities.

Antipsychotic medications can also reduce or eliminate the possibility of future psychotic episode relapses. One study found that 60 percent of those with schizophrenia don't take their medications as prescribed. And they suffer repercussions: in the study, those who didn't take their medication as prescribed were two and a half times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric reasons and 70 percent more likely to be hospitalized for non-psychiatric reasons than those who complied with their medication.

The older "conventional," or "typical" antipsychotic drugs, were introduced in the 1950s.Over the years, studies have found that these drugs are very effective in treating acute episodes of delusions or hallucinations and can provide long-term maintenance and prevention of future schizophrenic relapses. However, these drugs can cause unpleasant side effects such as dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision and difficulty urinating. These types of side effects are called "anticholinergic."

These medications can also cause extrapyramidal side effects (EPS), which affect how the body moves. For example, restlessness, tremors and slowing of normal gestures and movements can occur after days to weeks of treatment. Some patients report muscle spasms and cramps in the head and neck area, as well as stiff muscles throughout their body.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a type of EPS that can occur after months or years of treatment with antipsychotic medications. It strikes an estimated 20 percent of those taking antipsychotic drugs. This condition is more common among older patients. It involves small involuntary movements of the fingers, tongue, lips, face or jaw. The symptoms tend to get worse and turn into thrusting and rolling motions of the tongue, lip smacking, grimacing or uncontrollable sucking motions. Involuntary movements of the hands, feet, neck and shoulders can also occur. Tardive dyskinesia can be a permanent, irreversible side effect.

These medications can also interfere with reproductive hormones, affecting a woman's menstrual cycles and fertility or causing breast enlargement, milk secretion or sexual side effects in both men and women. Sedation and dizziness are also relatively common side effects.

Because of the potential side effects associated with these medications, it is important that any medication regimen is tailored to the individual. You should work closely with your doctor to achieve the most benefit with the fewest problems from the medication. Sometimes adding another drug can help reduce certain antipsychotic-related side effects and possibly improve their effectiveness.

Examples of older "typical" antipsychotic medications include chlorpromazine (Thorazine), haloperidol (Haldol), perphenazine (Trilafon) and fluphenazine (Prolixin).

More recently, pharmaceutical manufacturers have introduced a newer generation of antipsychotic drugs known as novel or "atypical" antipsychotics. The major advantage of these medications is a decreased risk of some side effects, such as EPS. These medications include clozapine (Clozaril), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), risperidone (Risperdal), ziprasidone (Geodon) and aripiprazole (Abilify).

Clozapine is unique in that it doesn't list TD as one of its side effects. Also, studies find that clozapine is effective for 30 to 50 percent of those who don't respond well to older antipsychotic drugs. However, patients taking clozapine must be monitored closely with regular blood tests because the medicine can cause a blood disorder called agranulocytosis, a disorder in which there are an insufficient number of white blood cells.

Although it only occurs in less than two percent of those taking clozapine, it can prove fatal if not caught and treated immediately.

Studies find the atypical antipsychotics are about as effective as the older conventional medications but with have fewer EPS. It has also been suggested that the atypical antipsychotics may improve anxiety, depression and cognitive symptoms. As a result, these newer drugs have replaced older drugs as "first line" therapy in the United States.

However, this new generation of medications has its own potential side effects, including sedation, significant weight gain and sexual dysfunction. They are also associated with a higher incidence of diabetes or high cholesterol, particularly in those who gain weight. While they don't interfere with menstruation as much as the typical antipsychotics, there is little information about the safety or impact of antipsychotic treatment during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you are taking these medications and considering getting pregnant, talk to your health care professional first.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing people with schizophrenia and their families is the high rate at which many stop taking their medication. Some stop treatment because they don't really believe they are ill. Others have such extreme disorganized thinking they can't remember to take their regular medication doses. Injectable medications that last for several weeks can sometimes help in these situations.

Patients also stop taking their medication because of difficulties with side effects. Substance abuse can also interfere with the efficacy of the medication, influencing patients' compliance. Finally, uninformed family members may suggest patients stop taking their medication because the symptoms seem to have disappeared. That's why it's important for a health care professional to stay involved in the treatment of someone with schizophrenia, even if they seem to be doing fine.

In unusual circumstances, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be used to treat schizophrenia. During ECT, an electrical current passes through the patient's brain inducing a seizure. This treatment may be used if the person hasn't responded to antipsychotic medication or, in some circumstances, for those in catatonic states.

Once the delusions and hallucinations of schizophrenia subside, patients also can benefit from psychosocial therapies that help them improve their social skills and teach them how to live independently. These sessions can be provided in group, family or individual settings. Many therapists use behavioral learning techniques, including coaching, modeling and positive reinforcement, all of which can make a big difference in helping patients cope with other stresses in their lives that could contribute to relapses.

Psychoeducational family therapy is another segment of treatment that many psychiatrists see as necessary to help prevent relapses. These family education training sessions teach family members and close friends how to recognize the early warning signs of a relapse and what to do before the situation worsens. Improving communication and problem-solving skills among family members and the person with schizophrenia can help reduce the potential for relapse.

For individuals suffering from schizophrenia who need community services for support, clinical case managers can coordinate the necessary services and make sure medical and psychiatric treatments are addressed. These case managers can also play a key role in crisis management if the person doesn't have a support network of family and friends.