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.
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Objective: This paper aims to characterize existing financial assistance available to patients with schizophrenia. Specifically, we described (1) the funding mechanisms for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia; (2) the process for accessing financial assistance; and (3) the experiences of consumers of services of these support mechanisms.

Methods: We employed qualitative techniques using key informant interviews (KII) and focus group discussion (FGD). Key informants were officials from institutions providing or offering financial assistance for patients with any health-related concerns, including schizophrenia. Focus group participants were support group members or caregivers of patients with schizophrenia. Purposive sampling was used to select participants for both providers and consumers of financial assistance or scheme. Topic guides for KII and FGD were used for data collection. Thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative data gathered from the informants and focus group participants.

Results: Securing financial assistance for schizophrenia followed a generally similar process, whether the source is from government offices or civil society organizations, and can be grouped into three main stages: (a) pre-application, (b) application, and (c) post-application. While the process of seeking financial assistance appears to be straightforward, issues were encountered in all of the stages by both providers and recipients alike, namely: (a) Financial assistance as an augmentation to patient resources; (b) Mismatch between demand and service capability; (c) Measures of organizational effectiveness; (d) Health professionals and support groups as "bridges" / "facilitators" to financial assistance providers; (e) Financial and non-financial costs incurred by caregivers in applying for financial assistance; and (f) Recipient-provider relationship as a barrier to the feedback process.

Conclusion: This study provides a glimpse of available financial and other relevant assistance to clients, including clients suffering from schizophrenia. More extensive research covering more organizations, support groups, and caregivers from different parts of the country is recommended.

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.
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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