Retrospective audit of people treated with long-acting antipsychotic injectable medications: Usage patterns and outcomes

Medication discontinuation or nonadherence is observed in many people with psychotic disorders (Kaplan et al., 2013). When experienced this increases risk of illness relapse, use of hospital and emergency psychiatric care, and worsens quality of life (Emsley et al., 2013). Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic medications were developed to overcome nonadherence and offer increased choice for how treatment is accessed (Bosanac and Castle, 2015). They also promote regular clinic attendance allowing for more frequent clinician contact, and have less variability in plasma drug levels to promote more stable drug effectiveness (Bera, 2014).
Source: Schizophrenia Research - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research