What are the treatments for mental illness?

Mental illness is a very unstable factor for patients and may occur at any time due to external stimuli. Therefore, the best solution for patients with the disease is to control and treat it in time to prevent the disease from worsening and causing unnecessary consequences. There are many treatments for mental illness. Let’s take a look at what are the treatments for mental illness?

Drug therapy can relieve most symptoms, and antipsychotic drugs should be the first choice of treatment.

Second-generation (atypical) antipsychotic drugs should be used as first-line treatment drugs. They have relatively few side effects and have a high serotonin receptor blocking effect. They also block dopamine receptors and are called dopamine/5-hydroxytryptamine antagonists. These include risperidone, olanzapine, clozapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, aripiprazole, paliperidone, and amisulpride. Clozapine is used as a second-line drug because of its serious side effects.

First-generation (typical) antipsychotic drugs should be used as second-line treatment drugs. Their main mechanism of action is blockade of dopamine receptors in the brain. Currently commonly used types include: chlorpromazine, haloperidol, penfluridol, perphenazine, fluphenazine, and sulpiride.

Long-acting drugs: mainly used for maintenance treatment and patients with poor medication compliance. The first generation of long-acting injectable drugs include haloperidol decanoate, fluphenazine decanoate, and fluphenazine palmitate. Penfluridol is a long-acting preparation of oral haloperidol. Long-acting injections of the second-generation drugs risperidone and paliperidone have been used in my country.

Other treatments:

①Psychotherapy: helping to solve patients’ psychological problems and crisis intervention;

② Skill training: help patients restore social functions and master disease management capabilities;

③ Family intervention: Establish a family environment that is conducive to the patient's disease treatment and rehabilitation;

④Community service: Provide patients with all possible services so that they can adapt to normal life in the community and promote their comprehensive physical and mental recovery.