Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI-APs) should be the first choice therapy in the treatment of schizophrenia, however their use in outpatient's psychiatric services remains limited.

Observational study in schizophrenic patients of the northwestern public health service.

To assess demographic and psychopathological features in patients treated with LAI haloperidol (H-LAI) and second-generation LAI antipsychotics (SG-LAI).

We recruited 105 schizophrenic patients upon LAI-APs treatment, and we assessed socio-demographic data, medical comorbidity, substances use, time from admission, treatment length, and per os augmentation therapies. All participants were assessed for global functioning and severity of illness by CGI-SCH and PSP, respectively.

Of all patients, 52% were treated by H-LAI, 48% by SG-LAI. No statistical differences (P > 0.05) were found between the 2 groups for age, gender, other demographic variables, substances use, somatic comorbidities. Both groups were homogeneous for severity of illness (CGI-SCH score = 4.20 in H-LAI vs. 4.38 in SG-LAI) and global functioning (PSP score = 49.1 in H-LAI vs. 54.4 in SG-LAI). Compared with the H-LAI group, SG-LAI-treated patients were characterized by shorter time from admission (>10 yrs) and treatment length (>1 yr), and less frequent anticholinergic drug co-prescription. We counted only 6 LAI-APs treatments started in the last year.

Despite of the literature support, LAI-APs treatment for schizophrenia is still limited in our service. Our data suggest that SG-LAI-APs are used as first choice of LAI-APs treatment, although maintained for short time, while H-LAI are reserved to long-standing patients and are burdened by side effects needing anticholinergic treatment.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.