How long does it take to treat schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a disease that is very detrimental to people's mental health. Most patients show abnormalities in emotions, thinking, and actions. Some patients will have auditory and visual hallucinations, some will show anxiety, depression, or irritability, and even have suicidal attempts and behaviors. Many people believe that schizophrenia is difficult to treat. In fact, as long as patients make full use of time and receive long-term treatment, they have a chance of recovery. Now let's find out how long it takes to treat schizophrenia.

The general principle of treating schizophrenia is that it should be longer rather than shorter. Usually for patients with the first onset, if their mental symptoms are completely relieved after treatment and they have a certain understanding of the disease, they should maintain treatment for at least 2-3 years after discharge. During this period, if their condition does not fluctuate and their social functions return to normal, the medication can be gradually reduced until it is stopped. After stopping the medication, they should still be followed up in the outpatient clinic for at least 1 year. If the disease recurs during the process of reducing or stopping the medication, the dosage should be increased immediately until the disease is under control. Do not try to stop the medication easily and be prepared for long-term treatment. Those who have had the disease for the second time should maintain treatment for 3-5 years; those who have had the disease three or more times or whose symptoms cannot be completely eliminated after various treatments should consider lifelong maintenance treatment. The duration of medication maintenance for patients with suicidal, violent or aggressive behavior should be extended accordingly.

1. Acute phase treatment. Start with a small dose of the drug and gradually increase the dose to an effective therapeutic dose. Generally speaking, the effective dose is reached within the first 2 weeks of treatment. It usually takes 6 to 8 weeks to achieve the effect of controlling symptoms. The goal of treatment in this phase is to try to alleviate and relieve acute symptoms and to rebuild and restore the patient's social function.

2. Recovery period treatment, also known as consolidation treatment. During this period, the effective dose for acute treatment is continued, and consolidation treatment generally takes 3 to 6 months. The goal of treatment for schizophrenia in the recovery phase is to reduce stress on the patient, reduce the likelihood of relapse and enhance the patient's ability to adapt to social life.

3. Stable period treatment, that is, maintenance treatment. The purpose of drug maintenance therapy is to prevent relapse, improve the patient's quality of life, and alleviate or reduce side effects. The maintenance dose is usually lower than the effective dose. The maintenance dose of classic antipsychotics can be reduced to about 1/2 of the effective dose. The new generation of atypical antipsychotics (except clozapine) are usually maintained at the effective therapeutic dose or slightly below the effective dose.

In fact, the treatment time for schizophrenia varies from person to person. Doctors need to make a comprehensive analysis based on the patient's condition and other specific circumstances before deciding on the patient's treatment cycle and medication time. I believe everyone knows that schizophrenia requires long-term treatment, so as long as we give patients enough time for treatment, there will definitely be a chance of recovery!