have received psychosocial rehabilitative services. Future studies are required that appraise the use of adjunctive psychosocial interventions in conjunction with pharmacological options.”
Dr. Hossam Guirgis, a psychiatrist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health by phone, “This study is important because it answers a question that many of us clinicians have had. When we treat patients with first-episode psychosis, we don’t think it’s a good idea to take them off their medicine, but we’ve never seen a long-term study that looks at patient outcomes after ten years.”
“My advice to clinicians who treat patients with first-episode psychosis,” added Dr. Guirgis, “is to be very thoughtful and cautious about taking patients off their medicine.”
Both Dr. Guirgis and Dr. Kolli recommended further study, and Dr. Guirgis said he would like to see this study replicated in a Western society.
Find out more about antipsychotic medication and their effects on BlackDoctor.org.
SOURCE: Long-Term Effects of Discontinuation From Antipsychotic Maintenance Following First-Episode Schizophrenia And Related Disorders: A 10 Year Follow-Up Of A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial, Lancet Psychiatry 2018, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(18)30090-7/fulltext