Schizophrenia (Electronic book text)

The care of patients with schizophrenia integrates the skills of a wide range of healthcare professionals. Psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses and social workers, provide multidisciplinary care involving the use of drugs, psychosocial therapy and behavioural therapy, either in the hospital or in the patient's home environment.This new volume updates the reader on the therapeutic options available, with special emphasis on the new generation of 'atypical' antipsychotic drugs, their mode of action and clinical efficacy in a range of applications. These new agents are compared with existing medications, to guide the reader on their use in combination with other treatments as part of an integrated programme of patient management. This book addresses special topics such as cognitive impairment, early psychosis, compliance and emergencies; explains mechanisms of drug action and their clinical applications; and, addresses key questions in therapeutic decision making.