Integrating Novel Treatments to Advance Schizophrenia Management - Episode 2
Standard of Care Treatments in Schizophrenia
Panelists discuss how current standard treatments primarily address positive symptoms through D2 receptor blockade medications and cognitive behavioral therapy but often provide only partial efficacy while potentially worsening negative and cognitive symptoms that most impact daily functioning.
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Current schizophrenia treatment protocols primarily rely on dopamine D2 receptor blockade medications combined with cognitive behavioral therapy, but these approaches show significant limitations in addressing the full spectrum of symptoms. While traditional antipsychotic medications demonstrate effectiveness in managing positive symptoms like hallucinations and delusions, they often provide only partial efficacy and may actually worsen negative symptoms and cognitive impairments that most severely impact patient functioning and quality of life.
The standard of care creates a challenging risk-benefit balance for clinicians and patients. Medication side effects include metabolic issues, weight gain, cognitive blunting, and emotional numbing that patients describe as feeling like "zombies." These adverse effects frequently lead to medication non-adherence, creating a cycle where patients discontinue treatment due to side effects, experience symptom relapse, and require hospitalization. The limitations become particularly problematic when patients cannot engage in psychotherapy due to cognitive impairments or lack of insight into their condition.
Healthcare providers must navigate these treatment challenges while recognizing that schizophrenia is a neurodegenerative condition requiring lifelong management rather than cure. The goal shifts from complete symptom elimination to functional improvement and preventing further brain deterioration. This reality necessitates exploring emerging treatment modalities that can address unmet needs in negative symptom management and cognitive enhancement while minimizing debilitating side effects.
