Societal perceptions of schizophrenia are sometimes sensationalized and shrouded in stigmas that may result in misconceptions and the unfold of inaccurate data each outdoors and inside the group. These adverse or false beliefs can come from media, cultural attitudes, and institutional bias (employers, police, and even the medical group), impacting sufferers’ therapy journeys and probably preserving them from optimizing their illness administration.

Amongst sufferers with schizophrenia, caregivers, and well being care suppliers, a standard false impression is that use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) is barely applicable for extreme circumstances. Nevertheless, LAIs could also be appropriate for a wide range of sufferers and even utilized in early therapy to permit for improved adherence – the affected person receiving the treatment as prescribed – and high quality of life. Because of this, they’re sometimes really useful to sufferers preferring LAIs or who might wrestle to stick to a day by day oral routine.

As well as, relapse continues to be an ongoing and complicated problem confronted by many schizophrenia sufferers, with charges estimated to be between 50-92% globally. LAIs assist to keep up secure blood ranges and have been proven to cut back the chance of relapse. Regardless of the confirmed effectiveness, LAIs are solely used as first-line therapy choices within the U.S. about 4% of the time.

It’s essential to make clear a few of the different frequent misconceptions of LAIs, together with:

False impression #1: Therapy value is out of attain

A mess of private and non-private insurance policy can assist cowl the price of LAI antipsychotics, and in some circumstances the drug producer may additionally present help.

False impression #2: Sufferers want oral therapy

Within the well being care group, oral treatment is usually the usual first selection therapy of schizophrenia, particularly for first-episode sufferers, as a result of assumption that sufferers want it. Nevertheless, there are examples of schizophrenia sufferers and their kinfolk with favorable notion of LAIs. Due to this fact, it’s essential for well being care suppliers to supply injectable LAIs as an choice to their sufferers early of their therapy journey, which permits sufferers to debate advantages and dangers of various therapy choices with their medical doctors to seek out the one most applicable for them.

False impression #3: Therapy with LAIs is a punishment

A psychotic episode is usually a traumatic expertise that could be additional compounded by a necessity for hospitalization, which might depart sufferers ambivalent about receiving drugs involuntarily. Traditionally, this has created a adverse notion of injectable remedies, however attitudes might change throughout illness relapse and remission durations. At present’s LAIs provide therapy choices for sufferers and medical doctors which will assist meet the affected person’s wants or preferences.

Elevating consciousness of those misconceptions has the potential to assist sufferers and caregivers take into account essentially the most applicable therapy possibility for them. Ought to any individual consider LAIs could also be helpful to their therapy journey, they’re inspired to start out a dialog with their physician.

Eric Hughes, M.D., Ph.D., is the chief vp of world analysis and improvement and chief medical officer at Teva Prescribed drugs.

October 2023 
PSYCH-40561

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