It’s also vital that the patient has hope of getting better.
"If I look at somebody and what I see is a chronic schizophrenic, then I’m part of the problem," Dr. Diamond said. "But if what I see is someone I could imagine getting a job, getting friends, having more of a life, getting closer to what they want – not that it’s going to happen with every single person – but if I could imagine a possibility in a serious way, then what I’m doing is engendering hope and keeping it alive until that person can carry hope for himself."
Dr. Diamond disclosed a consulting relationship with Novartis, and serving on an editorial board for Janssen Pharmaceutica and a grant committee for Pfizer.