woman talking with therapist in outpatient treatment
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Summary: Two essential things you should look for in outpatient treatment programs for schizophrenia include clinicians with specialized training and experience treating people with schizophrenia, and clinicians understand the various types of medication and additional supports considered effective for treating schizophrenia.

Key Points:

  • Evidence-based treatment for schizophrenia delivered by expert clinicians can reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for people with schizophrenia.
  • An integrated, holistic, person-first, multimodal approach to treating schizophrenia – based on adherence to antipsychotic medication – is the most effective approach for outpatient treatment programs for schizophrenia.
  • Family involvement and a focus on practical life skills to facilitate independence improve overall outcomes.

Finding the Right Outpatient Treatment Programs for Schizophrenia

If you, a friend, or a loved one recently received a diagnosis for schizophrenia, you’re probably deciding what kind of treatment you (or they) need. That means finding a treatment center that meets the following criteria:

  • Has experienced clinicians on staff
  • Offers treatment modalities effective for schizophrenia
  • Includes complementary support that fosters independence and reduces functional impairment.

Next, you need a treatment center that offers a level of care that meets your needs. Levels of care for schizophrenia include:

  • Emergency hospitalization
  • Residential/inpatient treatment programs
  • Partial hospitalization treatment programs (PHP)
  • Intensive outpatient treatment programs (IOP)
  • Outpatient treatment programs (OP)

In this article, we’ll focus on the least immersive level of care for schizophrenia, outpatient treatment. Generally speaking, the level of care appropriate for your schizophrenia treatment depends on three factors:

  1. Symptom intensity.
  2. Symptom frequency.
  3. Level of functional impairment symptoms cause.

If you’re wondering what to look for in outpatient treatment programs for schizophrenia, then we’ll assume your symptoms are neither intense enough nor cause enough functional impairment in your daily life to require a level of care that’s more immersive than an outpatient treatment program.

To clarify what we mean by that:

  • Mild to moderate symptoms may be disruptive, distressing, and make daily life – i.e. work, school, relationships, basic self-care – difficult and challenging, but do not completely prevent you from meeting most of your daily responsibilities.
  • Moderate to severe symptoms may be extremely disruptive and can completely prevent you from meeting daily responsibilities and impair functional capacity at work, school, in relationships, as well as impact your ability to effectively manage the basics of self-care.

Therefore, when symptoms are distressing and disruptive but not overwhelming, outpatient treatment may be the level of care you need.

Please note that this article is not a diagnosis or a referral for care. The information we share is meant to help you understand what to look for in outpatient treatment programs for schizophrenia. For diagnosis and referral for care, please arrange an appointment with a licensed mental health professional such as psychiatrist or clinical psychotherapist.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia That Outpatient Treatment Can Help

 

We want you to know we fully understand that even when your symptoms are mild or moderate, they can interfere with smooth functioning in daily life. Symptoms that cause disruption may include:

Psychotic symptoms:

These include hallucinations, delusions, disordered thoughts, and atypical, repetitive movements. These symptoms can be upsetting, scary, and confusing both for you and the people who are part of your daily life.

Negative symptoms:

These include behavioral impacts such as decreasing motivation, pulling back from social activities, problems talking about/communicating your emotions, and challenges with basic activities. Presence of these symptoms can disrupt school, work, and relationships.

Cognitive symptoms:

These symptoms can decrease your ability to think clearly, reason logically, form memories, solve problems, and make decisions. Like the impact of psychotic and negative symptoms, these cognitive symptoms can affect relationships and impair function at work and school. In addition, cognitive symptoms have a negative impact on your ability to keep and remember appointments, and engage in productive conversations with friends, family, peers, and members of your community.

When your symptoms become severe, frequent, and intense enough to make your life difficult and distressing, but they’re not debilitating, then outpatient treatment may be an effective option.

But what works? What kind of therapy is effective?

Components of Outpatient Treatment for Schizophrenia: What Should a Treatment Plan Include?

Evidence indicates that an integrated treatment plan with a variety of components, including medication, therapy, adjunct services, educational opportunities, and family support, and peer support offers the best chance of real and meaningful symptom management and symptom reduction. An effective outpatient treatment program for schizophrenia should include – but not be limited to – the following treatment modalities:

Medication:

  • First generation antipsychotics, such as fluphenazine and haloperidol
  • Second generation antipsychotics, such as aripiprazole and clozapine

Psychotherapy:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT)
  • Dialectical behavior therapy(DBT)
  • Acceptance & commitment therapy
  • Family therapy

Psychosocial interventions:

  • Cognitive remediation
  • Metacognitive training
  • Employment training
  • Supported employment

New/Emerging Therapies:

  • Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
  • Deep brain stimulation (DBS)

Education:

  • Topics related to the science of schizophrenia and schizophrenia treatment
  • Crisis management
  • The importance of exercise, activity, and healthy eating
  • Targeted workshops on improving/navigating personal, peer, and family relationships dynamics
  • Targeted workshops on effective communication, self-advocacy, and conflict resolution

Complementary/Expressive Therapies:

  • Music, writing, visual art
  • Yoga/mindfulness
  • Meditation and breathwork

There’s another thing we should mention that can have a significant impact on treatment: your relationship with your therapist and your family. In fact, the author of study called “Treating Schizophrenia: Open Conversations and Stronger Relationships Through Psychoeducation and Shared Decision-Making” make this observation:

“Integrated pharmacological and psychosocial treatments have been shown to significantly improve outcomes for people living with schizophrenia. Underpinning the success of these interventions is a strong therapeutic relationship between […people with schizophrenia, their families…] and their healthcare team.”

In addition, studies highlight the importance of a productive, trusting relationship between a person with schizophrenia and their psychiatrist or provider. A positive treatment alliance can:

  • Improve overall outcomes
  • Reduce severity of symptoms
  • Reduce likelihood hospitalization
  • Increase participation in therapy
  • Increase likelihood of staying on antipsychotic medication

We’ll discuss this information further, below.

The Best Outpatient Treatment Programs for Schizophrenia

One thing we noticed while researching this article – which we also know directly from our clinicians – is the importance of a multimodal approach to schizophrenia treatment. That means medication, therapy, education, practical support for finding and keeping a job, and help managing relationship communication and the various necessities of life. What we notice may not be immediately apparent, but once you think about it for a moment, the logic is crystal clear:

Not only can support from various modes of treatment improve outcomes, but also positive, proactive support from various types of people from different areas of life can increase the likelihood of successful recovery, symptom management, and independent living.

Therefore, if you have schizophrenia and you’re looking for outpatient treatment, please remember that the more people you have in your corner that you know and trust – meaning they know you have schizophrenia, know you’re in treatment, and are wiling and able to help – the better your treatment experience can be. When you have a robust, positive treatment team and people in your life to support you outside of treatment, outcomes improve.

Finding Help: Resources

If you or someone you know needs professional treatment and support for schizophrenia, please contact us here at Crownview Co-Occurring Institute: we have skilled clinicians ready to help. In addition, you can find support through the following online resources: