Abstract

Schizophrenia is an illness with a high risk of relapse, which is even higher if the affected person does not take antipsychotic therapy. Low adherence to therapy represents a major problem in the treatment of schizophrenia, however the use of long-acting antipsychotics has been shown to increase adherence. The aim of this paper was to determine whether there is a connection between the use of long-acting antipsychotics and hospitalizations of individuals suffering from schizophrenia in the Republic of Croatia. Data on the use of long-acting antipsychotics and the hospitalization of patients with schizophrenia were collected over the four-year period from 2018 to 2021. Statistical analysis was performed using the Pearson correlation test. It is evident from the results that the number of hospitalizations due to schizophrenia decreased year after year, while the use of all atypical antipsychotics with long-acting formulation increased. The results indicate a strong negative correlation between the variables: the number of hospitalized patients, the number of hospitalizations, the duration of hospital care and the use of long-acting antipsychotics, but the correlation is not statistically relevant for any variable. We can conclude that an increase in the administration of long-acting antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia in the Republic of Croatia could result in a decrease in the number of patients hospitalized, the number of hospitalizations and their duration. The recommendation is, therefore, to start administering the long-acting atypical antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia at the earliest possible stage of the illness and/or as early as the first episode.