Survey on schizophrenia drugs 'worrying'

A THIRD of people suffering from schizophrenia or related illnesses have never been spoken to about their medication, a national survey shows.

It also shows that three out of five had never been offered a choice of medication for their illness and more than 65% did not receive written information about the possible side effects of their prescribed medication.

The survey A Question of Choice, Ireland was launched, yesterday, in Dublin by Schizophrenia Ireland to mark the start of their national awareness week, which is also known as Lucia Week.

Statistically, about one in 100 people in Ireland will be diagnosed with schizophrenia, about 40,000 people in total.

Many will make a full recovery, but about a third will have a severe, lifelong condition.

Schizophrenia Ireland's director, John Saunders, said the organisation was not surprised by the survey's findings.

"Many of the findings do not come as a surprise to us, as they validate what we are continually being told on an anecdotal basis by our members and people accessing our services," Mr Saunders said.

The survey also highlighted the widespread use of a "cocktail" of medicines to treat schizophrenia.

Of 471 people who took part in the survey, more than 65% were on two or more medications, while 30% were on three or more. "These findings are worrying, especially given the serious problems associated with multiple drug prescribing," said Mr Saunders.

The findings on multiple drug prescribing indicated an inadequate review of a person's medical history and the need for treating doctors to take an individual approach.

Based on the results, there was a clear need for clinical guidelines relating to drug prescribing, Mr Saunders said.

In the last two years, over 60% of the 4,500 inquiries received by Schizophrenia Ireland have related to basic information on medication and treatment for schizophrenia.

Mr Saunders said it was incredible that a scarcity of such vital information seemed to exist in the mental health services, particularly given the significant side effect profile of many medications used to treat schizophrenia.

The most commonly experienced side effects include weight gain described as bad or very bad by 59% of the people who took part in the survey with energy loss also a serious problem for 55%.

Mr Saunders said the absence of clear, accurate and accessible information was the driver for the production of their new handbook on schizophrenia, which was also launched yesterday.

Just over 60% of those who took part in the survey found employment training to be the most helpful non-medical intervention, while more than 55% found counselling/psychotherapy made them feel better about themselves. The results, however, highlighted a significant disparity between interventions available in the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the rest of the country.

"We believe that a holistic and integrated model of treatment should be available, as a right, to all persons experiencing mental distress regardless of geographical location," said Mr Saunders.

"Basically, things have changed, but they have not changed quickly enough," he said.

"We want a full review of mental health services to ensure that all treatment given is of the highest standard," Mr Saunders added.