No abstract available.
Schizophrenia*

No abstract available.
Schizophrenia*

No abstract available.
Schizophrenia*

No abstract available.
Schizophrenia*

Understanding the definition of treatment response, remission and recovery is very critical in terms of investigating the course of schizophrenia and planning treatment strategies accordingly. In this article, we reviewed various definitions and criteria used in previous studies. Based on this, several limitations and new proposals are discussed. Clear establishment of the criteria for treatment response, remission and recovery for schizophrenia would help clinicians to make a time-appropriate decision for medication plan and to set up the long-term treatment goal in people with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia*

No abstract available.
Schizophrenia*

This case report emphasizes the role of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)in managing a family with four members suffering from mental illness, mainly schizophrenia. We report a case of middle-aged lady who was diagnosed with treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS) living with two other family members with the same illness and their carer who developed major depression from shouldering the burden of caring for mentally ill family members. ACT, through its holistic approach, proved to have reduced hospitalizations and improve symptom control and quality of life in this family.
Schizophrenia

There have been vast amount studies regarding immunologic dysregulation in schizophrenia. The mechanism of immune pathogenesis in schizophrenia still is unclear, even though various immune dysfunction have been reported. We endeavored to report on two major hypothesis on immunologic dysregulation in schizophrenia, the infection hypothesis and autoimmune hypothesis. We went on to focus on the autoimmune hypothesis, which has received the most attention over the years. We explored the accumulated data and the rational behind the autoimmune hypothesis and the implications of the autoimmune hypothesis for future research in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating illness affecting around 21 million people globally. It is a severe form of mental health problem, affecting more individuals aged 15-35 years (late adolescence to early adulthood) and commonly found among males 1 • It is thought to result from a combination of genetic, environmental and psychosocial factors. In the Philippines, schizophrenia is the leading cause for mental health consultation and treatment in hospitals2 • Based from the Philippine Health Information System on Mental Health data gathered from 2014 to 2015 in 14 health facilities, around 42% out of 2,562 patients on record were diagnosed with schizophrenia. From this data, it is estimated that 1 % or around 1 million of the country's total population are affected by this disorder. Poor adherence to medication is a major cause of poor outcomes in patients with schizophrenia, with non-adherence as high as 50-74% in the initial phase of treatment3 - 5 • Nonadherence is associated with relapse, re-hospitalization and poor quality of life among individuals with the illness3 • While remission and ultimately, recovery, is the goal, the foundation of successful treatment is appropriate medication prescription and good adherence. The use of new generation, long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic medications is one of the ways to improve patient's adherence to treatment by reducing frequency of administration and improving the consistency of drug delivery as well as bioavailability in the circulation 6.On January 25, 2018, Johnson and Johnson Philippines organized a symposium on LAI treatment during the 2018 International Congress of the Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations (AFPA) and 44th Philippine Psychiatric Association Annual Convention at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City. The purpose of the symposium was to discuss the role of long-acting antipsychotic medications in a comprehensive treatment approach for schizophrenia. A total of almost 300 psychiatrists and psychologists attended the activity. The aim of this special report is to present the discussion of the guest speaker Dr. Allan Tasman, and weigh the pros and cons of using long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics as part of treatment for Filipino patients with schizophrenia. Dr. Tasman is an internationally known psychiatrist and advocate of integrative biopsychosocial treatment model within a comprehensive, collaborative system of care and innovation for psychiatric education and clinical services. He is currently professor and emeritus chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Louisville, and Schwab Endowed Chair in Social and Community Psychiatry. The primary objectives of Dr. Tasman's presentation were to: (1) review comprehensive treatment approaches in schizophrenia, keeping in mind up-to-date medication management as the foundation of treatment; and (2) use evidence-based practice in maximizing the likelihood of recovery in patients with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVES: Using the patient’s perspective, the study’s objective was to estimate the economic cost of treatment for adult schizophrenia patients in a tertiary hospital using key informant interviews. METHODS: A guided structured key informant interview was done to determine key practices in the treatment of adult schizophrenic patients in the charity and pay in-patient and out-patient settings of the tertiary hospital. Cost of treatment included direct (medication, room and board, professional fees, ancillaries) and indirect costs (productivity losses of both patient and caregiver) and was computed based on 1 to 4 week length of stay for inpatients and varying intervals of follow-up for outpatients. Total costs were computed depending on the treatment setting. RESULTS: Twenty nine members of the Department of Psychiatry, involving 5 psychiatric nursing staff, 13 residents-in-training, 4 fellows-in-training and 7 consultants were interviewed. The cost, for charity inpatient care, may range from PhP 2332.00 to PhP 44,861.00 (USD 50.88 to 978.86). For charity outpatient care, this may range from PhP 2892.00 to PhP 21,3612.00 (USD 63.10 to 4660.96) annually. For pay patients, costs were estimated to range from PhP15347.00 to PhP 24,6831.00 (USD 334.87 to 5385.80) for inpatient care and PhP 17,292.00 to PhP 1,125,600.00 (USD 377.31 to 25681.04) for outpatient care. The factor that influenced costs the most was the choice of medication. As of October 15, 2015, 1 USD = 45.83 PhP. CONCLUSION Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric illness that places a significant financial burden on patients and their caregivers. Based on the data gathered, patients’ and their families could spend from as low as 2332 to as high as 1,125,600 pesos depending on the treatment setting.
Schizophrenia