Weight gain biggest worry with antipsychotics

New data presented at the 15th European Congress of Psychiatry, held in Madrid, Spain, indicates that the impact of weight gain and metabolic abnormalities associated with antipsychotic treatment now tops the list as the most problematic effect of antipsychotic treatment, according to 84% of European psychiatrists surveyed.

The European Physical Health in Schizophrenia Survey was mailed to more than 50,000 psychiatrists and, to date, 4,220 responses have been analyzed from 14 countries. The respondents rated areas of concern, monitoring of physical health and the impact of antipsychotic therapy as it relates to physical health by completing a 10-question survey.

While 87% of psychiatrists rated physical health as important to extremely important, less than half (42%) reported that they regularly monitor their patients' physical health during routine consultation.