Decera Clinical Education Neuroscience Podcast · Decera Clinical Education

Reaching Patients Where They Are: Experience With LAI Antipsychotics in Community Practice

·32 min·5 clips

The episode opens with Nicola Hansen introducing Dr. Robert Kotez and Dr. David Goldsmith, co-directors of the Clinical and Research Program for Psychosis at Grady, part of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. It sits inside the 2024 educational program Liberating Stability, A Deep Dive into Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics. The conversation stays grounded in the practical realities of LAIs in community care. The speakers treat antipsychotic medications as a useful tool, especially when adherence and continuity matter. They keep returning to how to introduce these medications in a way patients can actually follow. The discussion also notes that patients have already demonstrated oral tolerability before moving to LAIs. Side effects are framed as something to watch over time, not just cover once in counseling. Tardive dyskinesia gets specific attention because patients may be doing well and still need careful surveillance. The clinicians describe making that monitoring explicit from the start. They emphasize routine assessment at each visit and more formal rating at least yearly. That kind of clarity is presented as a way to reduce worry and avoid surprises. The episode also considers patients who are thinking about a longer-interval LAI but still worry about adverse effects. One patient example centers on someone who can reliably come in monthly but is hesitant to extend the dosing interval. The conversation then shifts to the fear that a medication might run out too early. That fear connects to how unsettling relapse can feel, especially when symptoms begin to edge back near the end of an interval. The speakers argue for having a concrete plan before that happens. They want patients to know exactly what to do, who to contact, and how the team will respond. Breakthrough symptoms are treated as a predictable clinical moment rather than a mystery. The discussion keeps the patient’s life in view, not just the prescription. By the end, the focus shifts to younger people early in psychosis and the goal of getting them back to school, work, and relationships. LAIs are presented as one tool among several for helping people regain function and move toward the life they want.

As heard by us

A practical LAI discussion about monitoring, planning, and keeping treatment workable in psychiatric care.

The episode stays focused on long-acting injectable antipsychotics and keeps coming back to the practical details that shape whether they work in community care.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a clear, clinical look at LAIs in real community practice.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Decera Clinical Education Neuroscience Podcast