Services for schizophrenics: a lifelong approach to treatment.
Mental health services in the 1960s reflected then-current beliefs in the effectiveness of crisis-oriented services and broad social programming to treat and even prevent serious mental disorders. The result was an unwarranted emphasis on the single-episode user of services and lack of interest in patients such as schizophrenics who needed repeated services. Numerous more recent studies indicate that many cases of schizophrenia have a heritable biological component and respond well to neuroleptic medication. For effective out patient treatment of schizophrenics who might otherwise be repeated users of hospital service, the author advocates a program of continuous, or nearly continuous, neuroleptic medication, combined with counseling and social and crisis services. The patient would be educated to take a role in self-regulation of medication, within a prescribed range, which would appear to improve safety, precision, and reliability.
D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003376:Counseling; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014149:Tranquilizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
D014149:Tranquilizing Agents