The Guardian/ One big step/ Improved treatment for schizophrenia

04 декабря, 2002
Thousands of people with schizophrenia will receive psychological treatments, including behavioural and family therapy, under a move that promises to give them more control over their care. Europe Intelligence Wire via NewsEdge Corporation : Thousands of people with schizophrenia will receive psychological treatments, including behavioural and family therapy, under a move that promises to give them more control over their care. The national institute for clinical excellence (Nice), which judges the effectiveness of health treatments, today recommends that mental health service users diagnosed with schizophrenia should be provided with a wider range of therapy and medication on the NHS. The clinical guidelines, the first to be issued by Nice on the appropriate care and treatment of people with specific conditions, call for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to be made available to everyone with schizophrenia in England and Wales. There are currently long waiting lists for CBT, which enables people to understand and challenge their beliefs. Paul Farmer, director of public affairs at the charity Rethink, formerly the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, says: "This is the first big step on a long road to providing first-class mental health treatment for all." Nice's guidelines also include providing assertive outreach to homeless people with schizophrenia, and family support for service users' relatives. Service users should be able to set out what treatment they want if they become acutely ill; while GPs should provide them with regular physical check-ups, because their wider health needs are often ignored. The guidelines come a day after a Rethink survey suggested that - despite Nice guidance issued in June - thousands of people were still being denied modern psychiatric drugs, with one in five primary care trusts yet to provide six new drugs on the NHS, largely because of financial pressures. Guidelines are at www.nice.org .uk * Treat yourself, p88 <> << Copyright ©2002 Financial Times Limited, All Rights Reserved >>
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