29th January 2024

Prognosis

There is currently no singular cure known to treat schizophrenia; with complete resolution being relatively uncommon. A small proportion of patients may have only a singular episode throughout their lifetime, whereas others will have either recurrent episodes or continuous symptoms. A few factors are known to influence the longitudinal trajectory of the illness and can be used to somewhat predict how an individual will be affected. Factors such as prominent negative symptoms are notoriously difficult to treat, as most antipsychotics have greater efficacy in treating positive symptoms than negative symptoms. Of course, this will be different for each patient individually, but it is worth bearing these prognostic factors in mind so they can be addressed in a patient’s treatment plan, when feasible.

Source: Adapted from:  Saddock J, Saddock V. Concise textbook of clinical psychiatry. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2008.