In many cases, physicians focus on controlling symptoms like hallucinations and delusions, but they neglect other symptoms that are equally important to patients.It is known that if there is followed a treatment for all schizophrenia symptoms, many people can now recover in ways not previously thought possible, but if symptoms are overlooked by physicians, this will block the way to recovery.When treating schizophrenia, physicians were oriented to prevent symptoms from getting worse, but now, it is known that physicians must focus the treatment to deal with a large range of symptoms, and help the patient get better beyond the current level of symptoms and functioning.Since the mid-20th century, there were medications to treat schizophrenia's positive symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, and disorganization, but in the early 1990s there appeared the atypical antipsychotics, some medications that control the symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, and problems remembering or concentrating.

A study of people with schizophrenia illustrated some facts that are shown below. 65% of the subjects reported that their doctors gave a great importance into treating the positive symptoms, and 37% said that their doctors place a great importance on the cognitive symptoms. Among the patients taking antipsychotics, 77% said that their medication is not adequate to improve their ability to focus and concentrate. Also, 74% said that their current medication falls short in controlling depression, and 49% of these patients said their doctor places a great of importance on depression when making treatment decisions.The most of the patients believe that controlling affective and cognitive symptoms has the same importance as controlling hallucinations and delusions.

Studies reveal that atypical antipsychotics improve cognition better than the older antipsychotics, but the atypical antipsychotics differ in their ability to treat these symptoms. It was seen that patients that did not respond to the treatment with risperidone, olanzapine, or conventional antipsychotics, showed statistically significant improvement in cognitive symptoms when they started the treatment with ziprasidone, one of the newer atypical antipsychotics.Atypical antipsychotics also have different side- effects. A study shows that more than 75 percent of patients on antipsychotic medications gain weight, but there are two of the newer medications that do not cause weight gain. However, factors such as side effect profiles are predictable, and it is important that individual preferences to be considered.It is believed that daily functioning is part of successful treatment for schizophrenia, and with the right medications schizophrenic patients will be able to lead full lives.