Management of physical health in schizophrenia: A stepping stone to treatment success

White patients with schizophrenia are known to have an increased risk of physical health comorbidity including coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and emphysema, their physical wellbeing often goes unnoticed by health care professionals. In many cases the patient's only contact with the health service is through the mental health team. However, many psychiatrists consider their primary function to be the provision of clinical care in terms of symptom control and are reluctant to switch medication despite the presence of physical health issues. Nevertheless outcomes in schizophrenia may be improved by expanding the remit of the clinician to include assessments of both physical and mental health. Simple measurements such as waist circumference, weight, height, blood pressure and blood sampling would provide the psychiatrist with useful information that could be used to optimize treatment and improve overall quality of life for patients with schizophrenia. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.