Even in the recent past, people with schizophrenia well likely to be homeless, in assisted living communities, or under the care of family members. However, as drug treatment and counseling strategies progress, these people have more opportunities to live independent, productive lives. USA Today carried a story this week on the current options for people with the disorder, as well as some of their limitations.

But drugs go only so far, Swartz says. Those who could stick with a medicine had improved social relations, but it was only “modest” improvement, and there were no differences among drugs. Also, the most ill made the greatest gains in real-world functioning, but they also were least likely to stick with drugs, which limits the overall benefit, Swartz says.

Unfortunately, even though advances have been made, very few people get the treatments that would be most helpful, either because of cost or availability. Even more disconcerting is that there is very little on the horizon to correct this situation.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 4 Mar 2007
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.