Current Schizophrenia

Advances in pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions continueto improve the success of managing schizophrenia. Early detection andintervention in people with, or at risk for, psychosis give patients andtheir families hope for a better course of illness and an improved outcome.The interdisciplinary approach, combining pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions, markedly increases the chance of long-lastingremission and recovery. However, a cure for schizophrenia has yet tobe found. Research, particularly in the past decade, has revealed someof the biological and genetic facets of the origins of schizophrenia, andthis has contributed to the better quality of treatment.This book aims to provide a short but detailed overview of currentstandards of care in schizophrenia. It takes into consideration severaltreatment recommendations proposed in published guidelines for schizophrenia, including the guidelines by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2009), the American Psychiatric Association (2004), the Canadian Psychiatric Association (2005), and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (2005). A major problem with guidelines such as these is the difficulties encountered in translating them into daily clinical practice. Therefore, the fundamental aim of this book is to present the guidelines as clearly as possible in the context of relevant clinical treatment issues. The book does this with the help of figures that provide the clinician with algorithms and summaries of the most important information required for the practical treatment andtheoretical understanding of schizophrenia.