Addressing The Health Risks of Antipsychotic Medication (ATHRAM)

Antipsychotic medication is the most common treatment for schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia have a higher mortality rate than the general public and have higher rates of cardio vascular disease, obesity and diabetes. There is growing concern that antipsychotics are associated with these health risks with as many as 50% of patients gaining substantial body weight during long-term antipsychotic therapy. Antipsychotics vary, however, in the extent to which they contribute to adverse health outcomes. ATHRAM is a clinical research development group/network supported by the Mental Health Research Network Cymru (MHRNC) (http://www.mhrnc.org).

The overarching aim of this group is to bring together key academics and clinicians with a particular interest in the physical health risks associated with antipsychotic medication. The intention of the group is to facilitate large-scale research within Wales (and wider afield) on this topic.

We are committed to: identifying interventions or good practices that have been shown to reduce health risks associate with antipsychotic medication (e.g., screening, exercise or healthy living programmes etc.); rigorously evaluating innovative interventions or practices to provide evidence of the appropriateness, feasibility, applicability, and the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of such interventions; securing adequate funding and resources to undertake quality research within Wales