People with schizophrenia are people first, and enjoy a higher quality of life when treated within a holistic framework of appropriate medication combined with psychosocial community supports and family involvement whenever possible. Cognitive therapy helps patients examine the beliefs they have about their symptoms, and understand the behaviours that result. All effective treatment involves a multidisciplinary effort combining medications with housing, vocational training, group therapy and caring. What is clear is that more studies on the prevalence and the incidence aspects of the disease, and those associated factors, need to be done within the Canadian setting. Schizophrenia is costly, because the disease has an onset in adolescence, affects the individual s peak productivity time, and is chronic.
Mortality is high, and treatment is expensive, while being only partially effective.
Persons with schizophrenia occupy more hospital beds than any other illness, except cardiovascular disease. Measuring costs by lost earnings or life-years requires a crystal ball approach that may or may not be accurate. Because schizophrenia takes time to diagnose, determining costs as a result of the disease has another barrier. Estimates of those with schizophrenia who remain untreated vary widely There is no way to measure the direct costs family members incur in caring for their loved ones with schizophrenia.