Psychiatric patients and their families protested outside the Bureau of National Health Insurance yesterday, asking the bureau to scrap regulations which prevent many patients from receiving the best treatment for their condition.
Around 200 people took part in the demonstration which was led by the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Taiwan (
The protesters demanded that the Bureau of National Health Insurance repeal what they said were discriminatory limitations on the uses of the most effective treatment for patients with mental disorders, especially schizophrenia.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
They said the limitation amounted to "discrimination that impedes psychiatric patients' rights to seek adequate medical treatment."
"Due to concerns about the high price of SDA [serotonin-dopamine antagonist], the bureau limits doctors' use of the drug on schizophrenia patients," said Eva Teng (
SDA is an effective treatment for schizophrenia and has minimal side-effects.
"The problem applies to all psychiatric conditions, but is particularly serious in the case of schizophrenia," Teng said.
"Instead of using SDA immediately, doctors treat patients with traditional medications which often have strong side effects."
Teng said that the side effects include uncontrollable drooling and body movement, weight loss and insomnia.
She said that the side effects caused by traditional medication are one reason why psychiatric patients are often reluctant to receive medical treatment, "which, in turn, adds to the burden of patients' families and society as a whole."
Teng said that doctors often use SDA only on elderly psychiatric patients. As for the rest, "Doctors treat them with SDA only when the patients are suffering from serious side effects," he said
According to statistics released in September by the Department of Health, there are around 40,000 to 48,000 people in Taiwan suffering from serious mental illnesses.
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