[Better prognosis due to new treatment approaches. Therapy of schizophrenia in 2002]

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that is often chronic and can severely compromise day-to-day life. In Germany, some 800,000 people--that is, almost 1% of the population--will suffer from schizophrenia during the course of their lives. In almost 50% of schizophrenics treatment is virtually exclusively in the hands of their family doctors. For this reason, thorough familiarity with the diagnosis and treatment of this condition, in particular with more recent therapeutic options is essential for the family doctor. Despite the fact that the disease often remains chronic, the prognosis has been considerably improved by the introduction of new therapeutic approaches.