5E-2 Schizophrenia: Treatment Options

Medication

The most common treatment for schizophrenia is medication. Health care providers prescribe antipsychotics more than any other medication. Since no one can predict how a patient will respond to a certain medication, a patient may need to try more than one before finding the right one.

Psychosocial Therapy

Medication is just one tool to help treat schizophrenia. A patient also needs outside help to cope with problems that come with schizophrenia. There are two types of psychosocial therapy:

• Supportive Therapy: One-on-one and group therapy are used to help patients with schizophrenia to learn about their illness and to provide emotional support. Family members can often participate.
• Vocational and Social Rehabilitation: Teaches basic life skills. The goal of this therapy is to help the person function in the community.