Treating Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric condition that affects how a person thinks, perceives reality, and functions in daily life. Symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, reduced emotional expression, and difficulty with motivation and daily tasks. It is a complex diagnosis that requires careful, ongoing treatment.
Many patients and families come to us looking for a provider who will take the time to understand the full picture, manage medication thoughtfully, and stay involved over the long term. That is how we approach schizophrenia: structured evaluation, consistent follow-up, and coordination with the broader support system that this condition often requires.
We treat schizophrenia in adults, children, and adolescents.
How We Evaluate Schizophrenia
Every patient at Everhealth begins with a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. The core process is the same for every condition: a clinical interview, validated assessments completed before your visit, a review of your personal and family history, and a collaborative discussion about findings and next steps.
For schizophrenia specifically, the evaluation focuses on symptom history, duration, and severity; prior medication trials and how the patient responded to them; functional impact on daily life; family history of psychotic disorders; substance use screening; and the important task of ruling out other psychotic disorders or medical conditions that can produce similar symptoms.
Family members or caregivers are welcome and encouraged to participate in the evaluation process. Their perspective can be particularly valuable in understanding the history and current presentation.
Your pre-visit assessments are tailored based on what you share in your intake and will include tools relevant to the concerns being evaluated.
How We Treat Schizophrenia
Treatment for schizophrenia is a long-term commitment. The goal is to reduce symptoms, support daily functioning, and maintain stability over time. Your provider works with you and, where appropriate, your family to build and maintain a treatment plan.
Medication Management
Antipsychotic medication is the cornerstone of schizophrenia treatment. Your provider will discuss which options are best suited to your symptoms, history, and how you have responded to previous treatment. Finding the right medication and dose takes time and close monitoring, particularly given the side effect profiles that these medications can carry. Your provider will be straightforward about the tradeoffs and will monitor for side effects at every visit.
Long-Acting Injectable (LAI) Antipsychotics
For patients who may benefit from long-acting injectable antipsychotics, we can prescribe and coordinate this as part of your treatment plan. We do not administer injections at our facility, but we help identify and connect you with resources in the community where you can receive them on the appropriate schedule.
Psychoeducation — Patient and Family
Understanding schizophrenia is important for both the patient and the people around them. Your provider helps you and your family understand the condition, how medication works, what to expect from treatment, and how to recognize early signs of relapse. Family involvement is not just encouraged; for many patients, it is an important part of sustaining stability.
Lifestyle and Daily Functioning Support
Schizophrenia can affect daily routines, motivation, and the ability to manage everyday tasks. Your provider works with you on practical strategies to support structure, sleep, nutrition, and daily functioning. These strategies are tailored to your situation and to what is realistically achievable.
Ongoing Monitoring
Consistent follow-up is essential. Schizophrenia requires long-term medication management, ongoing assessment of both positive and negative symptoms, monitoring for medication side effects, and adjustment of the treatment plan as circumstances change. This is not a condition where treatment ends after the first prescription.
Coordination of Care
Schizophrenia often benefits from a broader support system. We coordinate with therapists, case managers, community mental health resources, and primary care providers as needed. We do not provide standalone psychotherapy or case management, but we actively work with the professionals who do to ensure your psychiatric care is integrated with everything else.
Who We Treat
In addition to adults, we treat schizophrenia in the following age groups, each of which requires a tailored approach.
Children and Adolescents
Symptoms in children and adolescents can overlap with other conditions, and distinguishing schizophrenia from mood disorders, substance use effects, or normal developmental experiences requires a thorough assessment. Family involvement in treatment is especially important for this age group.
Learn more about care for children and adolescents →Common Questions
In most cases, yes. Schizophrenia is a condition that generally requires ongoing medication to maintain stability. Stopping medication without clinical guidance significantly increases the risk of relapse. Your provider will be straightforward about this and will work with you to find a medication regimen that balances effectiveness with quality of life.
Long-acting injectables are antipsychotic medications given as an injection on a regular schedule (typically every two to four weeks or monthly) instead of daily pills. They can be a good option for patients who prefer not to take daily medication or who benefit from the consistency that injections provide. We prescribe and coordinate LAIs but do not administer them at our facility. We will help you find a location to receive them.
Yes, and we encourage it. Family involvement is an important part of schizophrenia treatment. Your family members can participate in the evaluation, attend appointments with your consent, and receive psychoeducation about the condition and how to support your treatment.
No. We are an outpatient psychiatric practice and do not provide crisis stabilization or inpatient care. If you are experiencing a psychiatric emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. Our role is ongoing outpatient management for patients who are stable enough to be treated in this setting.
We coordinate with therapists, case managers, and community mental health resources. While we do not provide these services directly, we point you toward appropriate resources and provide referrals when needed. If you already work with other professionals, we coordinate care with them directly.
Yes. Consistent medication use is one of the most important factors in maintaining stability and preventing relapse. If you are having difficulty with your medication, whether because of side effects, cost, or other reasons, your provider wants to know so they can help find a solution.
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If you or a family member is living with schizophrenia and looking for structured, ongoing psychiatric care, the first step is a comprehensive evaluation. Family members are welcome to be part of the process.