Antipsychotics have been shown to reduce anxiety, increase anxiety, or have no effect.
These may be augmented with another antipsychotic, anxiolytic, or antidepressant.
Novel agents, such as L-theanine, pregabalin, and cycloserine, show promise in attenuating anxiety in schizophrenia.
Psychosocial therapies have been developed to reduce the distress of schizophrenia. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has shown that benefit and refinements in the therapy have been successful, for example, for managing worry in schizophrenia.
CBT usually involves more than 16 sessions, as short courses of CBT do not attenuate the presentation of anxiety in schizophrenia. To address time and cost, the development of manualized CBT to address anxiety in schizophrenia is being developed.
CBT is one of the most effective tools for combatting anxiety once you are stable on medication.
Situation arises, anxiety red lines.
CBT mindfulness training leads to immediate awareness of situation.
Implement copy strategy learned through CBT.
Anxiety is reduced and normal function returns.
Medication + CBT + therapy is how you get the highest level of function on the lowest dose of meds possible and will help one side step using some of the more addictive anti-anxiety meds.