Schizophrenia And Clinical Trials
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, participating in a clinical trial may offer a path to improved treatment. Researchers around the world are exploring more effective therapy to manage schizophrenia as well as treatment options with fewer side effects.
What Is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a serious mental condition that affects a person's ability to feel, think, and act. Schizophrenia patients may appear to have lost touch with reality, causing tremendous stress to themselves as well as their family, and friends. If left untreated, schizophrenia symptoms can be severe and devastating. However, effective treatments for schizophrenia are accessible. Sustained treatment of schizophrenia can help those affected with integrating into school or a job, gaining independence, and enjoying personal relationships.
Onset and Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is most commonly diagnosed in late adolescence or early thirties. It is more common in males than females. The symptoms of schizophrenia involve gradual changes in thinking, emotions, and social functioning, typically beginning in mid-adolescence, before an initial episode of psychosis.
What Are Schizophrenia Clinical Trials?
Clinical trials for schizophrenia patients are mainly used to test potential new antipsychotic medicines. Researchers aim to see if study medication can help with symptoms such as delusions, false beliefs and hallucinations. Demonstrating the effectiveness of investigational drugs to treat schizophrenia presents a challenge. Ressearchers are faced with high patient dropout in clinical trials for this disease.
The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is a commonly used evaluation tool in clinical trials. This 30-item scale helps researchers determine how severe a clinical trial participant’s symptoms are which in turn may help them evaluate the effectiveness of a potential new treatment.
How to Find a Clinical Trial for Schizophrenia
Clinical trials for schizophrenia can be located on various websites and social media platforms, including those managed hospitals, health care institutions, the government, and nonprofit mental health organizations.
References:
- https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/11/fda-offers-strategies-to-streamline-schizophrenia
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/eci.13398
- https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia
- https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-clinical-trials