APA Releases Updated Practice Guideline for Treatment of Patients With Schizophrenia

Yesterday, APA released a new evidence-based guideline on treating patients with schizophrenia.The APA Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Schizophrenia, Third Edition, replaces the previous practice guideline released in 2004. It is also the first APA guideline for an entire disorder that uses standards set forth by the Institute of Medicine in 2011 to ensure clinical guidelines meet high standards of transparency and scientific rigor.As with APA ’s previous guidelines, clinical recommendations were made by a diverse group of experts following a systematic evaluation of relevant literature. The expert work group made 24 recommendations spread across the topics of patient assessment and treatment planning, pharmacotherapy, and psychosocial interventions.For the key first step of patient assessment, the guideline recommends that patients with schizophrenia receive athorough evaluation, including assessments of a patient ’s physical health; cognitive health; their risk of harming themselves or others; and substance use, including nicotine. Afterward, physicians and patients should work together on a comprehensive, person-centered treatment plan that includes evidence-based pharmacological and nonpharmacological tr eatments.The guideline reaffirms that patients diagnosed with schizophrenia should be treated with an antipsychotic medication and that patients whose symptoms improve while taking an antipsychotic medication should continue with maintenance anti...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: APA Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Schizophrenia clozapine evaluation Institute of Medicine patient preference pharmacotherapy psychosocial interventions Source Type: research