Biological Predictors of Antipsychotic Treatment Response

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder with variable symptomatology, course, treatment response, and outcome. Widely variable responses to antipsychotic medication in turn influence patients’ course of illness and outcome. Despite substantial research efforts attempting to separate patients into meaningful phenomenologic or biological subtypes that correspond to illness course and outcome, no such subtypes have been firmly established. So far, we have no reliable biological markers or predictors of treatment response. Clearly, given the recent pressure to decrease inpatient lengths of stay, any predictors of outcome are not only of clinical but also of economic importance. Clinically, such predictors might afford clinicians with the knowledge of which antipsychotics to use (i.e., typical vs atypical), which dose may be most beneficial, and which patient may be the one who may be withdrawn successfully from medication.KeywordsSchizophrenic PatientResearch Diagnostic CriterionBioi PsychiatryBiological PredictorClozapine ResponseThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.