Schizophrenia Case Study Essay

The early psychosocial treatments of first episode psychosis is of crucial importance in the improvement of the prognosis of the illness. When ensuring successful care, timely maintenance of treatment response is optimal in regards to better long term outcomes. The appropriate use of psychotherapeutic drugs to suit each individual can be a difficult task as the side effects of the medication can impact on adherence to treatment. Psycho-education in regard to illness and medication. The treatment of more established schizophrenia has significant differences compared to first episode psychosis. Treatment options and medications can differ as can dosages of antipsychotic medication.
The aim of this essay is to discuss the differences between treatment of first episode psychosis and more established schizophrenia.
The average age for onset of schizophrenia
(2007) state there are concerns about the severity of side effects and the lack of efficacy of first generation antipsychotics (FGAs) for use with children and adolescents with first episode psychosis. This prompted a search to find an agent which was more effective, was tolerated better and had fewer side effects, for use with younger, antipsychotic naive, patients. Second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) include drugs such as risperidone, olanzepine, quetiapine, ziprasidone and clozapine. These drugs, as a class, have reduced tendency to cause adverse motor side effects and prolactin increase when they are compared to FGAs of similar strength (Kumra et al., 2007). Maguire (2002) states an increase in prolactin levels can result in serious short and long term problems. Short term problems include depression, menstrual irregularities and sexual dysfunction and long term problems include osteoporosis and decreased bone density. These short term problems can be a cause of non-adherence due to the sexual dysfunction and depression. Relapse of psychosis can occur due to non-adherence (Maguire,