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The Key to
Living Better:Consistent
Treatment

You've probably heard that taking your medication on a regular basis is important to your health. But how important is it?

  • Not taking your medication is the leading cause of schizophrenia episodes. Taking your medication is critical to maintaining your health and increasing the benefits of your treatment plan1
  • A study showed that 76% of patients did not take their medication consistently2*

*In a real-world study based on pharmacy-based refill records, 76% of patients were nonadherent to their oral medication (MPR <80%) over the 15-month study period.

The Risks of Missing Your Medication

Not taking your medication can lead to a harmful cycle of worsening symptoms and increased risk taking behaviors.3-5 Without consistent treatment, a patient may experience:

The Devastating Impact of Repeat Episodes

Stopping or missing medication for any reason can increase the risk of schizophrenia episodes.1

Schizophrenia is also associated with significant health, social, and economic concerns.3-5

Approximately half of individuals with schizophrenia have co-occurring mental and/or behavioral health disorders.9 Co-occurring medical conditions can also contribute to the increased early mortality rate among individuals with schizophrenia10, such as:

Early mortality may be explained by increased rates of these medical conditions and the underdetection and undertreatment of them.11 Increased mortality risk may also be explained by certain lifestyle choices, such as obesity, tobacco use, and substance abuse, or additional medical conditions, such as heart, lung, endocrine, and autoimmune disorders.12

Within 6 months of leaving the hospital, 70% of people stop taking their oral medication.13*

Patients experience an average of 9 episodes over 5.5 years.14†

A study of adults with schizophrenia showed a 41% increased risk of loss of life after 2 episodes.15‡§

Early, consistent treatment is essential to help reduce the risk of mortality during the first 3-5 years after a schizophrenia diagnosis.16-17

Effective and continuous symptom control is the foundation of a successful treatment plan, with medication being one component.16-17

*Based on a retrospective claims analysis of Medicaid patients between 2010-2013. Nonadherence was defined as proportion of days covered <0.80.13

†A cost-based algorithm was developed for this analysis, taking a payer’s perspective into consideration to identify Medicaid patients who had relapsed and relapse episodes, based on weeks associated with high cost increase from baseline and high absolute weekly cost.14

‡Stable schizophrenia was defined as patients who were relapse free for 12 months prior to the index date.15

§Analysis was conducted using the date of death (DOD) Optum claims data from 2012-2019.15

You’re Not in This Alone

You should talk with your healthcare professional about effective episode prevention strategies, as discussing episode prevention with your treatment team and loved ones is crucial for better schizophrenia management and improved quality of life.

Your success starts with a plan. Take your first step with the Episode Action Plan.

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Unsure what to ask your healthcare professional?

Don’t worry! Stability is possible with the right treatment plan in place.

Watch the video below to discover ways you might be able to navigate a treatment conversation with your healthcare professional.

View Transcript

Have you heard? There are treatment options other than daily pills.

Discover long-acting injections for effective schizophrenia management.

Learn About Long-Acting Injections
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What’s Next?

Preparing for an EpisodeDouble arrow to the right icon

References:

  1. Emsley R et al. BMC Psychiatry. 2013;13:50.
  2. Alphs L et al. J Clin Psych. 2015;76(5):554-561.
  3. Keers R et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2014;171(3):332-9.
  4. Potkin S et al. BMC Psychiatry. 2013;13:261.
  5. Haddad P et al. Patient Relat Outcome Meas. 2014;5:43-62.
  6. Chan J et al. EClinicalMedicine. 2023;65:102294.
  7. Correll C et al. World Psychiatry. 2022;21(2):248-271.
  8. Hjorthøj C et al. Lancet Psychiatry. 2017;4(4):295-301.
  9. Tsai J, Rosenheck RA. Psychiatric comorbidity among adults with schizophrenia: a latent class analysis. Psychiatry Res. 2013 Nov 30;210(1):16-20. PMID: 23726869
  10. Olfson M, Gerhard T, Huang C, Crystal S, Stroup TS. Premature Mortality Among Adults With Schizophrenia in the United States. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015 Dec;72(12):1172-81. PMID: 26509694
  11. Laursen TM, Nordentoft M, Mortensen PB. Excess early mortality in schizophrenia. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2014;10:425-48. PMID: 24313570
  12. Dickerson F, Khan S, Origoni A, et al. Risk Factors for Natural Cause Mortality in Schizophrenia. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2432401. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.32401
  13. Marcus SC, Zummo J, Pettit AR, et al. Antipsychotic adherence and rehospitalization in schizophrenia patients receiving oral versus long-acting injectable antipsychotics following hospital discharge. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2015;21(9):754-768.
  14. Lafeuille MH, Gravel J, Lefebvre P, et al. Patterns of relapse and associated cost burden in schizophrenia patients receiving atypical antipsychotics. J Med Econ. 2013;16(11):1290-1299.
  15. Data on file. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  16. Tandon R et al. Schizophr Res. 2024;264:1-28.
  17. Birchwood M. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2000;34 Suppl:S181-S184.
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Última actualización en julio de 2024.

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