„The interests in the aliens he changed into the passion of car repairs” — reflections on the analysis of 176 cases of patients treated with risperidone long acting injections

Abstract

Antipsychotics in long acting injections (LAI) are increasingly used therapeutic option available in the contemporary treatment of patients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia. The work was based on 176 case reports of patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone LAI. This group of patients has been described by over 100 Polish psychiatrists who participated in educational workshops addressed to psychiatrists throughout Poland. The authors of the presentations indicate the effectiveness of this form of treatment in cases selected for presentations, and sometimes also emphasize the fact that the use of LAI treatment has prevented further deterioration of patients’ functioning in the course of the disease. In cases of long-term schizophrenia, the authors point out that prior use of injectable drugs could prevent the negative effect of the disease in many functional domains. The authors emphasize also the wide range of effects of risperidone use in long-acting injections: clinical usefulness in ameliorating psychopathological symptoms of schizophrenia, the good tolerance of the LAI therapy, as well as in the improvement of the functioning of patients in many aspects and in the sense of disease control and in the recovery of the dignity of the patients. An important area raised in many descriptions is the issue of the return to work of patients treated with long-acting injections, and improvement of the functioning in relations with their close persons and social environment.