Schizophrenia: Diagnosis and Treatment

Course overview

Schizophrenia is a chronic, lifelong condition with both positive and negative symptoms. The DSM-5-TR provides evidence-based criteria for diagnosing schizophrenia. An accurate diagnosis and a comprehensive treatment plan are essential for health teams to help people with schizophrenia achieve quality of life. Treatment includes medication (typical and atypical antipsychotics) and lifestyle changes. Antipsychotic medications for schizophrenia treatment are discussed relative to drug use, dosing, and potential side effects. Understanding metabolic side effects and treatment guidelines is important for clinicians to understand. Case studies are presented to highlight key aspects of diagnosis and treatment for all interprofessional team members.