ArticleSchizophrenia bulletin2021
Long-term Continuity of Antipsychotic Treatment for Schizophrenia: A Nationwide Study.
Article in Schizophrenia bulletin, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 79 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of olanzapine on lipid profiles in humans: a time and dose response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Predictors of long-term outcome of patients with schizophrenia in Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Long-Term Treatment with TV-46000 on Symptom Improvement Over Time in Stabilized Patients with Schizophrenia.CNS drugs · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Sex Differences Between Female and Male Individuals in Antipsychotic Efficacy and Adverse Effects in the Treatment of Schizophrenia.CNS drugs · 2024Trial
- Three-Year Outcomes of 6-Month Paliperidone Palmitate in Adults With Schizophrenia: An Open-Label Extension Study of a Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Hydrogel-Based Depot Systems in Psychiatric Pharmacotherapy: A Narrative Review Rethinking Long-Acting Drug Delivery.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The Role of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in the Early Treatment of Schizophrenia.CNS drugs · 2026Review
- Diminished variability of alpha and beta band-limited power as a neural signature in schizophrenia.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Do early intervention services for psychosis maintain their effects after transition to usual/modular care? A systematic review and meta-analysis.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2026Article
- A Quantitative Discrete Choice Experiment Survey-Based Study of Preferences for a Hypothetical Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic Administered Once Every 2 Months Among People Living with Schizophrenia.Patient preference and adherence · 2026Article
- Impact of abnormal metabolic-immunoinflammatory pathway on splenomegaly in patients with chronic schizophrenia and exploration of risk factors: case-control study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Clinical Benefit and Risk Profile of TV-46000 for Patients with Schizophrenia as Assessed by Number Needed to Treat and Number Needed to Harm.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2026Article
- Community management: An effective model to reduce medication discontinuation rate in patients with schizophrenia.PloS one · 2026Article
- Treatment Goals in Schizophrenia as Seen by Matched Patients and Physicians: Preferences and Medication Formulation Strategies.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2026Article
- Real-world antipsychotic prescribing pathways and treatment modifications in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: evidence from the United Arab Emirates.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Benefits and risks of antipsychotic discontinuation in people with first and multi-episode psychotic disorders or with schizophrenia: why, when, how and in whom?Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- The Use of Long-Acting Injectables for People with Schizophrenia: Consensus Panel Recommendations for Overcoming Barriers and Implementing Treatment.Neurology and therapy · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Schizophrenia often requires long-term treatment with antipsychotic medication. This study aims to measure the continuity of antipsychotic treatment over the course of illness in schizophrenia, as well as factors involved in the interruption of treatment. For this, we followed up a national cohort of first-episode psychosis patients in Finland for up to 18 years. Stratified Cox proportional hazards regressions were conducted for "within-participant" risk of discontinuation of subsequent treatments compared to the first, and by specific antipsychotic compared to oral olanzapine, the most prescribed antipsychotic in this cohort. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. Among 3343 participants followed up for a mean of 8 years (SD = 4.93), the median number of continuous treatment episodes was 6 (interquartile range [IQR] = 3-11) with a median duration of 11.4 months (IQR = 5.3-25.6). In the first year after diagnosis, the incidence rate of treatment discontinuation was 30.12 (95% CI = 29.89-30.35) events per 100 participant-years, decreasing to 8.90 (95% CI = 8.75-9.05) in the 10th year. The risk of discontinuation progressively decreased over successive treatment episodes (aHR = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.20-0.46 for episodes after the 15th compared to the first). Individuals were 67% less likely to interrupt treatment with long-acting injectable than oral antipsychotics (aHR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.27-0.41). Treatment for schizophrenia over the long term is often characterized by recurrent cycles of interruptions and reintroductions of antipsychotic medication, which is typically not recommended by management guidelines. Greater utilization of long-acting injectable formulations earlier in the course of illness may facilitate the continuity of antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.