Psychiatria pre prax 1/2014

Psychiatrists attitude to antipsychotic depot treatment

At first history and current use of treatment with depot antipsychotics (AP) is summarized. Nowadays also the 2nd generation APs in depot formulation are available. With long-term treatment the depot APs are better in the relapse prevention in comparison with oral APs. Because psychiatrists diagnose and choose the treatment, their attitudes to different formulations of treatment are important. Psychiatrists seem to use depots in a conservative way and mostly introduce them after several episodes and for reasons of nonadherence. Patients should be informed about different forms of treatment during early stages of the illness and they should be involved in the decision for a certain treatment form.

Keywords: schizophrenia, depot antipsychotics, nonadherence, attitudes to depots.