title: Antipsychotic polypharmacy: a comprehensive evaluation of relevant correlates of a long-standing clinical practice.
abstract: Antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) is common in the treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The literature indicates that APP is related to patient, illness, and treatment variables that are proxy measures for greater illness acuity, severity, complexity, and chronicity. The largely unknown relative risks and benefits of APP need to be weighed against the known risks and benefits of clozapine for treatment-resistant patients. To inform evidence-based clinical practice, controlled, high-quality antipsychotic combination and discontinuation trials are necessary to determine the effectiveness, safety, and role of APP in the management of severely ill patients with insufficient response to antipsychotic monotherapy.
authors.affiliation: The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Division of Psychiatry Research, North Shore-LIJ Health System, 75-59, 263rd Street, Glen Oaks, NY 11004, USA. ccorrell@lij.edu
authors.forename: Christoph U
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Correll
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gallego
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019338:Polypharmacy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents