So it looks like Eli Lilly’s new medication for schizophrenia, an injectable form of Zyprexa, will be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of the year. Why do you need an injectable form of a medication when pills work just as well?

When people don’t want to take their medications.

Furious Seasons has the story, and comes down on the side of admitting that sometimes people do need to be forced into taking their medication:

I’ve recently had to rethink my stance on the use of injectables because of a murder that was committed five blocks from my apartment, allegedly by an ex-convict with a long track record of extreme violence who was blowing off his meds and whom, for some reason, did not get admitted to a psych unit. The short story is that there is a very small portion of people diagnosed with schizophrenia who should be forcibly medicated with injectables. It’s just about the only available option. I say that with much regret. I’ll get into my thoughts on this another day.

It’s not pretty and it goes against every civil libertarian bone in my body, but there are times where we have to look out for both the public good and a person’s own safety. Sometimes, that includes ensuring that people who suffer from schizophrenia take their medications (even when the voices tell them not to). So we agree with Philip.

Is Zyprexa injectable a good treatment for schizophrenia? Time will tell. We hope it is.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 7 Feb 2008
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.