The Underuse of Clozapine and Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics

Schizophrenia is among the most devastating and costly human diseases. The public face of the failure to appropriately treat schizophrenia includes approximately 100,000 homeless individuals with schizophrenia and related psychoses and 200,000 incarcerated individuals with similar diagnoses. Clozapine and long-acting injectable antipsychotics are among the most effective treatments, but both are markedly underused. The following organizations should take responsibility for fixing this problem: National Institute of Mental Health, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, American Psychiatric Association, and patient and family advocacy groups.