Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMedicationsPsychotherapyComplementary & Alternative MedicineWhere to Find TreatmentNext in Schizophrenia GuideLiving With Schizophrenia
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If you have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, you might be wondering what to do next. The great news is that there are a variety of treatment options available. An important part of this journey is to explore your options and begin treatment quickly after diagnosis. This can help get your healing and recovery process going sooner than later, bringing you a sense of direction and relief.
What is the most important information I should know about schizophrenia treatment?Antipsychotic medications are the first-line treatment for schizophrenia.Psychotherapy can also be helpful and may be used alongside complementary approaches to improve quality of life.Treatment adherence can lead to better outcomes, so it is essential to take your medications and stick to your treatment plan.
What is the most important information I should know about schizophrenia treatment?
Antipsychotic medications are the first-line treatment for schizophrenia.Psychotherapy can also be helpful and may be used alongside complementary approaches to improve quality of life.Treatment adherence can lead to better outcomes, so it is essential to take your medications and stick to your treatment plan.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
Schizophrenia Medications
Often, schizophrenia is treated with antipsychotics.Antipsychoticmedications reduce the psychoticsymptoms of schizophreniaand other mental illnesses, such as hallucinations or delusions, usually allowing a person to function more effectively and appropriately.
The first generation of antipsychotic medications, known as “typical antipsychotics,” was introduced in the 1950s to treat psychosis.
Antipsychotic drugs are the best treatment for schizophrenia right now, but they don’t cureschizophreniaor ensure that there will be no further psychotic episodes.
Dosages
Side Effects
Antipsychotic drugs can have unwanted effects along with their beneficial effects. Typical antipsychotics, which include drugs like Haldol and Thorazine, are known to increase the risk ofextrapyramidal side effects, which affect movement and motor functions.
Side effects of typical antipsychotic medications include:
Atypical Antipsychotics
A number of new antipsychotic drugs (the “atypical antipsychotics”) have been introduced since 1990. The first, clozapine (Clozaril), has been shown to be more effective than other antipsychotics, although the possibility of severe side effects requires that patients be monitored with blood tests every one or two weeks. After a year of stable white blood counts, blood can be drawn monthly.
The newer antipsychotic drugs are safer regardingtardive dyskinesia (TD)—an involuntary movement disorder—but many of the atypical drugs are more likely to contribute to metabolic side effects such as weight gain, increased blood sugar, and higher blood lipids. Atypical antipsychotics include the following:
Concerns About Medication
Patients and families sometimes become worried about the antipsychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia. In addition to concern about side effects, they may worry that such drugs could lead to addiction.
Antipsychotic medications do not produce a “high” and are not habit-forming, nor do they lead to addictive behavior in people who take them.
Another misconception about antipsychotic drugs is that they act as a kind of mind control or a “chemical straitjacket.” Antipsychotic drugs used in the appropriate way do not “knock out” people or take away their free will.
Compliance
Making sure that you are taking your medications consistently can be referred to as medication compliance.As easy as it may sound to take medication regularly as scheduled, medication compliance is often one of the largest challenges of long-term treatment for schizophrenia.
Because of these challenges, new treatment options have become available that help make it easier for people to take their medications as prescribed. Long-acting injectables (LAI) are given to patients through an injection.
These injections can be given every few weeks to few months, which help people experience more consistent, long-term, symptom relief.
Psychotherapy for Schizophrenia
Therapy is an important part of treatment for schizophrenia. Often you will find that your therapist will work closely with your psychiatrist to help make sure treatment methods are effective. When someone’s medication is working effectively, they are often better able to discuss and process during their therapy sessions.
Individual Therapy
One of the most researched models of therapy used in the treatment of schizophrenia iscognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. This model of psychotherapy addresses the connection between thoughts and behaviors, helping people to learn more about how negative patterns of thought about themselves and the world influence their decision making.
Since insights like this are not often present in those with schizophrenia, cognitive behavioral therapy can help clients gain a greater sense of empowerment in regulating their emotions and behaviors. Speaking openly and honestly with your doctor is a great first step in understanding and ultimately managing your symptoms.
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Family Therapy
Group Therapy
Support from peers can be a wonderful addition to the treatment process.Group therapyis a space that allows people to safely share their experiences with schizophrenia, the challenges they are facing, and what seems to be helping.
Sharing information and feedback helps to remove a sense of isolation that can often be experienced. They can also create meaningful connections with peers, learning how to develop and maintain relationships.
Social Skills Training
Because they experience psychotic features such as delusions and hallucinations, it can at times feel unclear to the person what is real and what isn’t. Symptoms of the illness can significantly impact relationships. Learning the building blocks of relationships can help people better navigate interpersonal dynamics in their family lives, their social circles, and possibly even in work settings.
How to Find a Therapist
Complementary & Alternative Medicine for Schizophrenia
There are also a number of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments that may also be useful. These treatments are intended to be used alongside traditional therapies and not in place of proven treatments.
Animal Assisted Therapy
As with other conditions,animal-assisted therapy(AAT) can help ease and manage some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. Anhedonia, which refers to not experiencing joy or pleasure, is a common symptom of schizophrenia.
Research has found that, in trials using animal-assisted therapy as part of treatment, patients rated higher levels of pleasurable feelings and greater quality of life than those who did not participate in the animal-assisted treatment group.
Dietary Supplements
Certain nutritional supplements have been found to have a positive impact on symptoms experienced in some patients with schizophrenia. Although there is insufficient evidence to recommend them to everyone as a treatment, some of the vitamins and nutritional supplements that have been researched in schizophrenia include things like:
It is important to note that, although the use of these supplements have shown promise in research, it is best to speak with your doctor before taking them to make sure you are not at risk for things like medication interactions or other things that could slow or stop your progress.
CBD Oil
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in cannabis that has been explored for its potential mental health applications, including in the treatment of schizophrenia. While more research is needed, a 2021 systematic review concluded that there was insufficient evidence to suggest that CBD could have a positive impact on schizophrenia symptoms.
CBD that is derived from hemp and contains less than 0.3% THC is not considered a controlled substance.
5 Mental Health Uses for CBD
Keep in mind that you may need to be evaluated extensively to make sure that the diagnosis is accurate. This evaluation process involves meeting with you to talk about your experiences, as well as meeting with a spouse or other family members to gather collateral information.
The Best Online Therapy ProgramsWe’ve tried, tested and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain.
Levels of Care
How to Cope
It is important to be patient with yourself and your treatment team during this process. As much as we want the symptoms to subside, everyone has a different experience of what treatment methods work well for them and what doesn’t seem to work well. Part of your treatment journey will be to explore and discover the methods that work best for you and your symptoms.
Being compliant with your treatment plan is important for overall success. This means doing things like:
Even if the path feels challenging, remember there are plenty of things you can do to help the process go more smoothly. The main thing is to be patient and talk with your doctor about your experiences. They need to understand your symptoms in order to help develop a treatment plan that works well for you.
Coping With Schizophrenia
7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ramachandraiah CT, Subramaniam N, Tancer M.The story of antipsychotics: Past and present.Indian J Psychiatry. 2009;51(4):324-326. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.58304Mathews M, Gratz S, Adetunji B, George V, Mathews M, Basil B.Antipsychotic-induced movement disorders: Evaluation and treatment.Psychiatry(Edgmont). 2005;2(3):36-41.Asenjo Lobos C, Komossa K, Rummel-kluge C, et al.Clozapine versus other atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenia.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(11). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006633.pub2U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Use medicines wisely.Brissos S, Veguilla MR, Taylor D, Balanzá-Martinez V.The role of long-acting injectable antipsychotics in schizophrenia: A critical appraisal.Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2014;4(5):198-219. doi:10.1177/2045125314540297Sahebalzamani M, Rezaei O, Moghadam LF.Animal-assisted therapy on happiness and life quality of chronic psychiatric patients living in psychiatric residential care homes: A randomized controlled study.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):575. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02980-8Ahmed S, Roth RM, Stanciu CN, Brunette MF.The impact of THC and CBD in schizophrenia: A systematic review.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:694394. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.694394Additional ReadingNational Institutes of Mental Health.Antipsychotics.Taipale H, Mehtälä J, Tanskanen A, Tiihonen J.Comparative effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs for rehospitalization in schizophrenia-A nationwide study with 20-year follow-up.Schizophr Bull.2018;44(6):1381-1387. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx176Tiihonen J.Real‐world effectiveness of antipsychotics.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2016 Nov; 134(5): 371–373. doi:10.1111%2Facps.12641
7 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ramachandraiah CT, Subramaniam N, Tancer M.The story of antipsychotics: Past and present.Indian J Psychiatry. 2009;51(4):324-326. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.58304Mathews M, Gratz S, Adetunji B, George V, Mathews M, Basil B.Antipsychotic-induced movement disorders: Evaluation and treatment.Psychiatry(Edgmont). 2005;2(3):36-41.Asenjo Lobos C, Komossa K, Rummel-kluge C, et al.Clozapine versus other atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenia.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(11). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006633.pub2U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Use medicines wisely.Brissos S, Veguilla MR, Taylor D, Balanzá-Martinez V.The role of long-acting injectable antipsychotics in schizophrenia: A critical appraisal.Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2014;4(5):198-219. doi:10.1177/2045125314540297Sahebalzamani M, Rezaei O, Moghadam LF.Animal-assisted therapy on happiness and life quality of chronic psychiatric patients living in psychiatric residential care homes: A randomized controlled study.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):575. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02980-8Ahmed S, Roth RM, Stanciu CN, Brunette MF.The impact of THC and CBD in schizophrenia: A systematic review.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:694394. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.694394Additional ReadingNational Institutes of Mental Health.Antipsychotics.Taipale H, Mehtälä J, Tanskanen A, Tiihonen J.Comparative effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs for rehospitalization in schizophrenia-A nationwide study with 20-year follow-up.Schizophr Bull.2018;44(6):1381-1387. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx176Tiihonen J.Real‐world effectiveness of antipsychotics.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2016 Nov; 134(5): 371–373. doi:10.1111%2Facps.12641
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Ramachandraiah CT, Subramaniam N, Tancer M.The story of antipsychotics: Past and present.Indian J Psychiatry. 2009;51(4):324-326. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.58304Mathews M, Gratz S, Adetunji B, George V, Mathews M, Basil B.Antipsychotic-induced movement disorders: Evaluation and treatment.Psychiatry(Edgmont). 2005;2(3):36-41.Asenjo Lobos C, Komossa K, Rummel-kluge C, et al.Clozapine versus other atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenia.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(11). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006633.pub2U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Use medicines wisely.Brissos S, Veguilla MR, Taylor D, Balanzá-Martinez V.The role of long-acting injectable antipsychotics in schizophrenia: A critical appraisal.Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2014;4(5):198-219. doi:10.1177/2045125314540297Sahebalzamani M, Rezaei O, Moghadam LF.Animal-assisted therapy on happiness and life quality of chronic psychiatric patients living in psychiatric residential care homes: A randomized controlled study.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):575. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02980-8Ahmed S, Roth RM, Stanciu CN, Brunette MF.The impact of THC and CBD in schizophrenia: A systematic review.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:694394. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.694394
Ramachandraiah CT, Subramaniam N, Tancer M.The story of antipsychotics: Past and present.Indian J Psychiatry. 2009;51(4):324-326. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.58304
Mathews M, Gratz S, Adetunji B, George V, Mathews M, Basil B.Antipsychotic-induced movement disorders: Evaluation and treatment.Psychiatry(Edgmont). 2005;2(3):36-41.
Asenjo Lobos C, Komossa K, Rummel-kluge C, et al.Clozapine versus other atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenia.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(11). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006633.pub2
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Use medicines wisely.
Brissos S, Veguilla MR, Taylor D, Balanzá-Martinez V.The role of long-acting injectable antipsychotics in schizophrenia: A critical appraisal.Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2014;4(5):198-219. doi:10.1177/2045125314540297
Sahebalzamani M, Rezaei O, Moghadam LF.Animal-assisted therapy on happiness and life quality of chronic psychiatric patients living in psychiatric residential care homes: A randomized controlled study.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):575. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02980-8
Ahmed S, Roth RM, Stanciu CN, Brunette MF.The impact of THC and CBD in schizophrenia: A systematic review.Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:694394. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.694394
National Institutes of Mental Health.Antipsychotics.Taipale H, Mehtälä J, Tanskanen A, Tiihonen J.Comparative effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs for rehospitalization in schizophrenia-A nationwide study with 20-year follow-up.Schizophr Bull.2018;44(6):1381-1387. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx176Tiihonen J.Real‐world effectiveness of antipsychotics.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2016 Nov; 134(5): 371–373. doi:10.1111%2Facps.12641
National Institutes of Mental Health.Antipsychotics.
Taipale H, Mehtälä J, Tanskanen A, Tiihonen J.Comparative effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs for rehospitalization in schizophrenia-A nationwide study with 20-year follow-up.Schizophr Bull.2018;44(6):1381-1387. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx176
Tiihonen J.Real‐world effectiveness of antipsychotics.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2016 Nov; 134(5): 371–373. doi:10.1111%2Facps.12641
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