This guideline addresses the major treatments and services for people with schizophrenia. Future updates may cover other treatments and services, and update the scientific evidence base developed here.

This guidance is evidence based. The grading scheme used for the recommendations (A, B, C, NICE 2002, good practice point [GPP]) is described in Appendix A; a summary of the evidence on which the guidance is based is provided in the full guideline produced by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (see Section 5). Reference to NICE 2002 indicates recommendations derived from the NICE technology appraisal of atypical antipsychotics (see Section 6).