Farmacotherapie voor patienten met psychosen bij schizofrenie

A psychosis is a syndrome, not an illness. As a syndrome it can be part of schizophrenia, mania, psychotic depression and certain personality disorders. Psychosis is almost invariably connected with schizophrenia. Psychosis in schizophrenia should be treated with antipsychotics with the following recommendations: 1) doses should not be too high; 2) side-effects should be recognized; 3) side-effects should be effectively treated. When these recommendations are kept in mind, antipsychotics can be very effective and compliance in patients with schizophrenia can be improved. With the introduction of newer atypical antipsychotics, combining efficacy with decreased propensity to reduce side-effects, compliance may increase. When patients do not respond to typical neuroleptics, clozapine is highly recommended.