Schizophrenia is a lifelong condition that requires lifelong treatment. If you or a loved one have recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia, establishing a care team is a key first step in getting long-term treatment.

A schizophrenia care team — often known as a coordinated specialty care (CSC) team — is a coordinated team of individuals who are experts on schizophrenia, such as healthcare professionals, as well as others who take the time to learn about the disorder, such as family members and friends.

CSC programs exist to help patients with schizophrenia with treatment following their first episode of psychosis (a common symptom of schizophrenia, involving a detachment from reality). CSC has been shown to reduce symptoms and improve patients’ quality of life.

Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) studied the effectiveness of CSC in a large-scale initiative called Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode and found that it was more effective than the usual care.

It’s also now the standard of care for treating early psychosis, per NIMH.

Why a Schizophrenia Treatment Team Is so Important

Care teams are often crucial due to the severity of the illness, says Linda Stalters, an advanced practice registered nurse psychotherapist and founder of the Schizophrenia and Psychosis Action Alliance (S&PAA). Schizophrenia is one of the top 15 leading causes of disability around the world.

“It’s a challenging illness,” says Stalters. “It puts a person in a place where they are frightened. They don’t know, perhaps, what is happening to them. The symptoms can cause paranoia or delusions. They need people to provide understanding and support and encouragement and hope.”

Care teams can help people manage their treatment and other aspects of their day-to-day lives. For instance, people with schizophrenia need to make sure they keep taking their medicines, Stalters says. A person with a serious psychiatric condition like schizophrenia can quickly experience worsened symptoms if they miss a few days of medication, she adds. Certain members of a care team can help prevent this from happening.

6 Important Members of a Schizophrenia Care Team

CSC teams usually include medical support, case management, employment and educational support, and family education and support. It’s important that each patient is included as much as possible in treatment planning as they work together with their support team to make decisions regarding treatment and care.

Here’s who you should consider for your or your loved one’s care team — and how they can each help individuals with schizophrenia manage their symptoms and live well.

1. Psychiatrist

Medical care is typically guided by a psychiatrist — a medical doctor specializing in mental health — who may coordinate treatment with other mental health professionals such as a psychologist, social worker, case manager, or psychiatric nurse.

Medication management is a cornerstone of schizophrenia treatment. Finding the right option and dosage is one of the primary goals of psychiatric care for this condition.

Psychiatrists can prescribe and manage medications for schizophrenia.

Talk therapy is another key component of care. It may be provided by a psychiatrist or by another mental health professional who coordinates closely with the psychiatrist to help ensure that any medications provided get the desired outcomes.

2. Primary Care Provider

An individual’s primary care provider can play a key role in a schizophrenia treatment team.

People with schizophrenia have a higher risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. This is due in part to antipsychotics and other medications that can cause weight gain.

3. Social Worker

Social workers are professionals that may help clients with disabilities, life-threatening diseases, or social issues like inadequate housing or unemployment, for instance.

They may also help families with serious domestic conflicts, such as abuse.

Social workers can play a key role in helping people with schizophrenia set and accomplish goals for treatment, as well as with living and participating in their communities.

They can help people with schizophrenia and their families develop a treatment plan and learn more about different interventions that may be helpful alongside medication. Interventions may include individual and family therapy, vocational rehabilitation, or educational assistance. Social workers can also facilitate individual and family therapy sessions.

4. Psychologist

Psychologists are mental health professionals that can evaluate and treat mental health conditions like schizophrenia through individual or family psychotherapy. They can also conduct psychological testing and evaluations.

Certain psychologists, known as clinical psychologists, tend to focus on treating serious mental health conditions (like schizophrenia). However, although they can facilitate psychotherapy, they usually cannot prescribe medication or order blood or imaging tests, unlike psychiatrists.

5. Case Manager

Many people living with severe psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia need assistance coordinating treatment and handling a variety of tasks in their day-to-day lives. Case managers can help people with schizophrenia set goals to work toward and then identify strategies and tools to help achieve those things.

A review of research noted that care management is associated with fewer psychiatric symptoms and better quality of life in people with serious mental illnesses.

Case managers can guide family caregivers to community resources and other tools to support a variety of tasks that might be hard for some people with schizophrenia to manage independently, such as scheduling appointments, managing finances, or finding and keeping a job.

6. Family Caregivers

Family support and caregiving is an essential part of the support team, says Ken Duckworth, MD, chief medical officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and an assistant clinical professor at Harvard University Medical School in Boston. It can be helpful for people with schizophrenia to tell family members and friends about the condition, in order to receive encouragement and get assistance with specific needs, such as transportation to doctor or therapist appointments.

Family therapy is an important way for families to learn how they can best support their loved one (more on the benefits of family therapy below). The right kind of family support has been shown to make a significant difference for patients. A review of research found that certain family interventions are effective at preventing relapse in people with schizophrenia.

Other Tools and Programs That Can Help

Along with setting up a care team, certain tools and programs can help people with schizophrenia live well.

Family Therapy and Support Programs

Family therapy is a form of talk therapy that gives people with schizophrenia and their loved ones an opportunity to talk about and navigate their emotions, interactions, and conflicts, which in turn can improve relationships and help families find effective ways to communicate and support each other.

Along with family therapy, certain support programs exist to help support family members of individuals with schizophrenia. NAMI Family-to-Family, for instance, is a free educational program for family members, significant others, and friends of people with mental health conditions like schizophrenia.

This eight-session program is based on scientific research demonstrating the most effective methods of coping and problem-solving among loved ones. The course, which is taught by NAMI-trained family members, includes presentations, discussions, and interactive exercises.

Several prior studies comparing people who completed family psychoeducation programs (like Family-to-Family) have demonstrated its value, says Dr. Duckworth.

Peer Support Programs

A support team should include friends too, Duckworth says. Maintaining friendships can be a challenge for some people with schizophrenia because the onset of the disorder — usually between the late teens and early twenties to thirties — is commonly at a time of life when peers are especially important. Social isolation is one of the early hallmarks of the disorder.

One way to stay connected with others after a schizophrenia diagnosis is by joining a support group. Support groups help connect people who are going through similar experiences, allowing them to talk about their emotions, experiences, coping strategies, and other things.

“There are hundreds of community programs where people with mental health challenges can be accepted as part of a community,” Duckworth says. “These are peer groups. There are other people like you. For example, you can learn to cook or go to a show together.”

One example is the NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group, which is a free, peer-led support group for any adult who has a mental health condition. S&PAA also offers support groups for people with schizophrenia and related disorders.

Education and Career Support Programs

Work and school can sometimes be challenging to manage for people with schizophrenia, especially when symptoms flare up or an episode of psychosis requires time off for medical care.

Students with schizophrenia may be able to get accommodations such as reduced class loads or extra time to complete assignments by working with staff in disability services, programs responsible for ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). People with schizophrenia and other mental health conditions can qualify for accommodations and support through the ADA.

In addition, people with schizophrenia may benefit from vocational rehabilitation and supported employment programs, according to Mayo Clinic.

These programs can help individuals prepare for, find, and keep jobs.

How to Get Started

Care teams should be formed as quickly as possible at the time of diagnosis.

“There are services out there,” says Duckworth. “The challenge many people find is that services vary by geography or ZIP code,” he says. “I encourage people to contact their local NAMI to see what services are available in their area.”

The exact mix of supportive roles that people with schizophrenia need on their care teams can vary from one person to the next, and it’s essential that people learn to recognize when they truly have a team that’s serving them well, says Jacob Ballon, MD, a clinical professor and codirector of the INSPIRE Clinic at Stanford University in California, who specializes in treating people with psychotic disorders.

“People who are doing well with a care team will feel like they are being seen for who they are and that their goals are being respected. They will maintain an optimistic outlook on what they can accomplish toward their goals, and they will feel like they have a comfortable place in the world to seek help and get support,” Dr. Ballon says.

The Takeaway

If you or a loved one is dealing with schizophrenia, having the right care team is crucial.
A coordinated specialty care team typically includes professionals like psychiatrists, social workers, and case managers, alongside support from family and friends.
Forming a strong support network and treatment team is proven to help manage schizophrenia symptoms and enhance daily living.

Additional reporting by Lisa Rapaport.

Angela D. Harper, MD

Medical Reviewer

Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Angela D. Harper, MD, is in private practice at Columbia Psychiatric Associates in South Carolina, where she provides evaluations, medication management, and psychotherapy for adults.

A distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Harper has worked as a psychiatrist throughout her career, serving a large number of patients in various settings, including a psychiatric hospital on the inpatient psychiatric and addiction units, a community mental health center, and a 350-bed nursing home and rehab facility. She has provided legal case consultation for a number of attorneys.

Harper graduated magna cum laude from Furman University with a bachelor's degree and cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in adult psychiatry. During residency, she won numerous awards, including the Laughlin Fellowship from the American College of Psychiatrists, the Ginsberg Fellowship from the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training, and resident of the year and resident medical student teacher of the year. She was also the member-in-training trustee to the American Psychiatric Association board of trustees during her last two years of residency training.

Harper volunteered for a five-year term on her medical school's admission committee, has given numerous presentations, and has taught medical students and residents. She currently supervises a nurse practitioner. She is passionate about volunteering for the state medical board's medical disciplinary commission, on which she has served since 2015.

She and her husband are avid travelers and have been to over 55 countries and territories.

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Shari Roan

Author

Shari Roan is a veteran medical writer who wrote for the Los Angeles Times for more than two decades. She is the author of four books on science or medicine topics.