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Part 1: A Review of Schizophrenia
Overview
Schizophrenia affects 1% of the world’s population largely during a patient’s most productive years. Multiple treatments are available, however many gaps to recovery exist. Learn from experts diagnostic criteria for and defining recovery in schizophrenia.
Learning Objectives
After completing this educational activity, you should be able to:
- Establish patient-centered treatment goals for remission and recovery from schizophrenia
- Assess patients with schizophrenia for needs that are not met with current treatment strategies
Target Audience
Psychiatrists, psychiatry PAs, and psychiatry NPs
Program Description
Schizophrenia affects 1% of the world’s population, predominantly during a person’s most productive years and with the average potential life loss of 28.5 years. This mental disorder is characterized by loss of contact with reality, hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking and behaviors. Although there are now multiple medications available to treat schizophrenia, many gaps still exist as a barrier to treatment success resulting in lower quality of life for this patient population. Limited response to therapies, imperfect treatment adherence, and adverse events are factors that contribute to treatment gaps in caring for patients with schizophrenia. Shared decision-making and collaborating with patients and caregivers can help address some of these gaps, however this model is complex and takes time.
From the Series: Revisiting the Relapse and Remission Roller Coaster: Safety and Efficacy of Novel Schizophrenia Treatments
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Support Statement
Supported by educational grants from Alkermes, Inc. and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Learning Objective
After completing this educational activity, you should be able to:
- Establish patient-centered treatment goals for remission and recovery from schizophrenia
- Assess patients with schizophrenia for needs that are not met with current treatment strategies
Release, Review, and Expiration Dates
This CME activity was published in November 2022 and is eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ through December 31, 2023.
Statement of Need and Purpose
The goals of schizophrenia treatment are to control symptoms, prevent relapse, and improve functioning and quality of life. For many patients, these goals are not met, and as a result, recovery rates in schizophrenia have not improved. Over the last 70 years, the treatment efficacy landscape has not changed. Antipsychotic medications are effective in treating the positive symptoms but have little to no effect on cognitive or negative symptoms. Additionally, although side effects of antipsychotics can reduce patient adherence to medication, many clinicians underestimate the impact of adverse effects such as weight gain to adherence and do not routinely provide recommended monitoring. Furthermore, many clinicians support the use of a patient-centered approach to schizophrenia treatment, but evidence suggests that it does not routinely occur. To better recognize and address patients’ unmet needs, clinicians need education on a patient-centered approach, symptom domains, adverse effects, and the potential impact of novel treatments. Novel oral medications have been approved by the FDA recently and others are in late-stage development; these treatments have novel mechanisms of action or are combinations of agents that may offer efficacy for cognitive and negative symptoms and improved adherence due to more favorable adverse event profiles.
Unlabeled and Investigational Usage
The faculty of this educational activity may include discussions of products or devices that are not currently labeled for use by the FDA. Faculty members have been advised to disclose to the audience any reference to an unlabeled or investigational use.
No endorsement of unapproved products or uses is made or implied by coverage of these products or uses.
Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indicators, contraindications and warnings.
Review Process
The faculty members agreed to provide a balanced and evidence-based presentation and discussed the topics and CME objectives during the planning sessions. The faculty’s submitted content was validated by CME Institute staff, and the activity was evaluated for accuracy, use of evidence, and fair balance by the Chair.
The opinions expressed herein are those of the faculty and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the CME provider and publisher or the commercial supporter
© Copyright 2022 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.
Faculty Affiliation
Dawn I. Velligan, PhD
Professor and Co-Director
Division of Schizophrenia and Related Disorders
Department of Psychiatry
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Sanjai Rao, MD
Clinical Professor
University of California San Diego
Inpatient Psychiatrist, San Diego VA
San Diego, CA
Faculty Disclosure
The CME Institute adheres to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). Any individuals in a position to control the content of a continuing education activity, including faculty, content developers, reviewers, staff, and others, are required to disclose to learners the presence or absence of any relevant financial relationships with an ACCME-defined ineligible company within the preceding 24 months of the activity. The ACCME defines an “ineligible company” as one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
The CME Institute has mitigated all relevant conflicts of interest prior to the commencement of the activity. None of the individuals involved in the content have relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies except the following:
Individual Financial Disclosures
Dr Velligan has served as a consultant for Merck, Alkermes, Otsuka, Janssen; received grant/research support from Biogen; received honoraria from Janssen, Otsuka; and has served on the advisory boards for Merck, Janssen, Otsuka, and Alkermes. Dr Rao has served as a consultant for Janssen, Alkermes; and has received honoraria from Janssen, Alkermes, Otsuka, and Neurocrine.
Michael R. Page, PharmD, RPh
Independent Medical Director/Medical Writer
Plainsboro, New Jersey
Dr. Page is a consultant for BioCentric, Inc. and American Medical Communications, Inc.
Matthew Macaluso, DO
Clinical Director, UAB Depression and Suicide Center
Principal investigator for AssureRx/Myriad, Avanir, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Electrocore, Janssen, Liva Nova, Merck, Neurocrine, Novartis, Otsuka; Speaker bureau, Janssen pharmaceuticals (relationship ended); Consultant, Nusachi labs and PharmaTher.
None of the other planners, reviewers, and CME Institute staff for this educational activity have relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.
Accreditation Statement
The CME Institute of Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc., is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Credit Designation
The CME Institute of Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc., designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Note: The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accept certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
To obtain credit for this activity, study the material and complete the CME Posttest and Evaluation.
Available Credit
- 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- 0.50 Participation