Reducing relapse in psychosis through medication management.

Abstract

Simonelli-Collen (2005) suggests that the concept of relapse is a complex, multidimensional phenomenon that is not uniformly defined in the research literature. However, it is commonly understood as the re-emergence or worsening of signs and symptoms in individuals previously treated for psychoses (Birchwood & Spencer 2001). Relapse is often thought to be indistinguishable from setting to setting with a similar client experience. However it is remarkable for its divergence in quantity of symptoms experienced by individuals, acceleration and duration of onset. Successful relapse prevention offers the potential of lowering treatment resistant symptoms and decelerating the clients’ possible passage into severe and enduring mental illness (Birchwood & Spencer 2001). Relapse prevention consists of strategies designed to assist the client and significant others to monitor the client’s condition over time to detect early warning signs of impending psychoses and the implementation of an individualised action plan to offset the development of a ‘full blown’ psychotic episode. In addition, strategies to help the person to recognise and manage precipitating factors that lead to relapse such as stress are developed using a biopsychosocial approach.