José Juan Uriarte Uriarte, Unidad de Gestión Clínica, Red de Salud Mental de Bizkaia, Osakidetza, Bilbao, España

The understanding of schizophrenia and the effectiveness of its pharmacological treatment have not experienced great advances in recent years, rather in the last decades. The response to treatment is, in many cases, incomplete, and the presence of persistent symptoms and their consequences for work, family and social life of patients can be devastating. Clozapine remains the treatment of choice for patients who do not respond enough to the usual antipsychotics, but it has limitations: not all patients tolerate, accept or even respond to it. Other treatment strategies, including high doses of antipsychotics or augmentation with other drugs, continue to have limited evidence. Recovery is a complex process, not dependent solely on professional treatment, pharmacological or not. The aspects of social support and the generation of favourable environments for recovery are essential to obtain favourable evolutions and, most importantly, satisfactory lives for our patients despite their illness.

Keywords: Schizophrenia. Treatment resistance. Pharmacologic treatment. Clozapine.