Empowering Patients and Expanding Formulation Options in Schizophrenia Care

This episode, titled "Empowering Patients and Expanding Formulation Options in Schizophrenia Care," features panelist Dr. Hara Oyedeji reflecting on what patients deserve to hear from their clinicians — and what too often goes unsaid — regarding their treatment options and their role in their own care.

Dr. Oyedeji opens by expressing that above all, she wishes patients had been told earlier that they are active participants in their treatment, not passive recipients of clinical decisions. She notes that many patients in the communities she serves have never been told they had a choice in their care, a gap she attributes in part to clinician habit, stigma, and the tendency to follow routine diagnostic and prescribing patterns without fully engaging patients as partners. She emphasizes that clinicians carry significant influence over how patients perceive their prognosis, and that delivering a message of hope and shared navigation — rather than one of inevitability — can meaningfully shift patient engagement and trust.

On the topic of formulation barriers, Dr. Oyedeji celebrates the expanding treatment toolkit available to clinicians today, from long-acting injectables to transdermal options, and laments that many patients remain unaware these alternatives exist. She encourages newer clinicians to embrace the full armamentarium and to approach psychiatry as an art requiring flexibility and the willingness to pivot when a treatment path needs to change. She reinforces the value of starting with oral formulations to confirm tolerability before transitioning to a long-acting injectable equivalent, and describes herself as a strong advocate for long-acting injectables while acknowledging they are not appropriate for every patient.

The segment also addresses care fragmentation, with Dr. Oyedeji highlighting the silos that exist across inpatient and outpatient settings, the fear many patients have of disclosing symptoms, and the importance of knowing when to refer and how to mobilize the full care team — including family members, group home managers, and community supports — to sustain adherence and continuity of care.

In the next episode, "Evaluating Transdermal Asenapine in Schizophrenia," panelists will examine the clinical profile of transdermal asenapine, exploring how its unique delivery mechanism addresses unmet patient needs by bypassing first-pass metabolism, reducing dosing frequency, and offering a well-tolerated alternative for patients who struggle with oral or injectable formulations.