Schizophrenics dropping out of treatment programmes Doctors blame 'old drugs' which they say induce more severe side effects.

(From South China Morning Post)

Byline: Patsy Moy

Many of Hong Kong's schizophrenics continue to be prescribed medication that has relatively severe side effects, leading a number of them to drop out of their treatment programmes, doctors have warned.

Michael Wong Ming-cheuk, senior medical officer at Queen Mary Hospital, said of 200 schizophrenia patients scheduled to appear at his clinic every day, about 20 did not show up, and of those about 10 had become untraceable.

Many schizophrenics refuse to seek help because of the side effects associated with the medication they are prescribed, such as trembling, fatigue, sleep problems and …