Good tolerability equals good results: the patient's perspective.

TY - JOUR

T1 - Good tolerability equals good results: the patient's perspective.

AU - Naber, Dieter

AU - Karow, Anne

PY - 2001

Y1 - 2001

N2 - Although conventional antipsychotics are useful for the treatment of schizophrenia, many patients discontinue taking them within a few months. As well as the positive influence of a good doctor-patient relationship, evidence suggests that the patient's initial subjective experience during antipsychotic therapy is a major predictor of compliance. In addition to motor symptoms, conventional antipsychotics can cause significant adverse effects on drive, emotion and cognition, which are reflected in patients complaining of a reduced quality of life, although may not be detected by objective examination. This syndrome, which is similar to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, is known by numerous terms including 'pharmacogenic depression' and 'pharmacogenic anhedonia'. The introduction of atypical antipsychotics broadened the criteria for effective antipsychotic treatment to include the subjective assessment of improvement in patients' quality of life. The previous lack of interest in this domain may have been due to the inability to improve it with conventional agents and the misconception that schizophrenic patients were unable to subjectively evaluate their quality of life. However, numerous studies have shown that 63-95% of patients in remission are able to self-rate their affective state of well being or quality of life. Atypical antipsychotics are superior to conventional antipsychotics in improving quality of life and reducing the stigma of schizophrenia, particularly from the patient's perspective and are strong reasons for the widespread use of these drugs.

AB - Although conventional antipsychotics are useful for the treatment of schizophrenia, many patients discontinue taking them within a few months. As well as the positive influence of a good doctor-patient relationship, evidence suggests that the patient's initial subjective experience during antipsychotic therapy is a major predictor of compliance. In addition to motor symptoms, conventional antipsychotics can cause significant adverse effects on drive, emotion and cognition, which are reflected in patients complaining of a reduced quality of life, although may not be detected by objective examination. This syndrome, which is similar to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, is known by numerous terms including 'pharmacogenic depression' and 'pharmacogenic anhedonia'. The introduction of atypical antipsychotics broadened the criteria for effective antipsychotic treatment to include the subjective assessment of improvement in patients' quality of life. The previous lack of interest in this domain may have been due to the inability to improve it with conventional agents and the misconception that schizophrenic patients were unable to subjectively evaluate their quality of life. However, numerous studies have shown that 63-95% of patients in remission are able to self-rate their affective state of well being or quality of life. Atypical antipsychotics are superior to conventional antipsychotics in improving quality of life and reducing the stigma of schizophrenia, particularly from the patient's perspective and are strong reasons for the widespread use of these drugs.

M3 - SCORING: Zeitschriftenaufsatz

VL - 11

SP - 391

EP - 396

JO - EUR NEUROPSYCHOPHARM

JF - EUR NEUROPSYCHOPHARM

SN - 0924-977X

IS - 4

M1 - 4

ER -