[Pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia].
The management of schizophrenia patients remains one of the great challenges in psychiatry. Despite the undisputed effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs, patients and their physicians still face considerable difficulties mainly related to incomplete or lacking treatment response and the inability to predict the individual efficacy and tolerability. In this manuscript we review the key elements of pharmacological treatment of this disorder, encompassing acute and long-term management as well as specific management problems ranging from acutely violent patients to treatment-resistant subjects. Along with general treatment principles, the document provides specific information regarding efficacy and safety features of antipsychotics. Many of the currently available treatment recommendations/guidelines are based on the evidence reviewed here. This review is meant to serve as a guide for clinicians involved in managing schizophrenia, whether in a psychiatric hospital setting or as family physicians in private practice.
Fleischhacker
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Abteilung für Biologische Psychiatrie, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Osterreich. wolfgang.fleischhacker@uibk.ac.at
Hummer
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D000208:Acute Disease; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D004351:Drug Resistance; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D012917:Social Adjustment; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents