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. 2022 Nov 3;12(5):282-299.
doi: 10.9740/mhc.2022.10.282. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Management of cognitive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia

Megan Maroney  1
Affiliations

Management of cognitive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia

Megan Maroney. Ment Health Clin. .

Abstract

Currently available antipsychotics provide only modest benefit in managing the cognitive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia even though these symptoms are often the most impairing in patients' daily lives. Certain antipsychotics may have slight benefits over others, and several nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic adjunctive treatments have been evaluated in recent clinical trials. Recently published meta-analyses and clinical studies of such treatments are reviewed. Potential strategies to manage cognitive and negative symptoms, including deprescribing of medications that may exacerbate these symptoms, are described using theoretical case examples.

Keywords: anticholinergic; antipsychotics; cognitive symptoms; negative symptoms; schizophrenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: I have served on an advisory board for Boehringer Ingelheim, Pharmacy Times Health-Systems Edition, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals; am a consultant for Novus Medical Education; received honoraria from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Elsevier Publishing, New Jersey Society of Health Systems-Pharmacists, Pharmacy Times Continuing Education; and was a part of the Otsuka Pharmaceuticals Speaker's Bureau. Psychopharmacology Pearls are review articles intended to highlight both the evidence base available and/or controversial areas of clinical care for psychiatric and neurologic conditions as well as strategies of clinical decision making used by expert clinicians. As pearls, articles reflect the views and practice of each author as substantiated with evidence-based facts as well as opinion and experience. Articles are edited by members of the Psychopharmacology Pearls Editorial Board as well as peer-reviewed by MHC reviewers. This article was developed as part of the 2022 Psychopharmacology Pearls product for BCPP recertification credit. The course information and testing center is at https://aapp.org/503974.

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