Remission of Schizoaffective Disorder Using Homeopathic Medicine: 2 Case Reports

Context • Research on the schizophrenia spectrum is primarily focused on pharmaceutical interventions, although alternative treatments have been gaining increasing popularity in recent years because patients are seeking treatments that are effective and have reduced side effects. A significant body of evidence already exists supporting the effectiveness of homeopathy to treat a wide array of illnesses. Objective • The research team intended to demonstrate the need for using both alternative and conventional treatments to improve clinical outcomes in the treatment of schizoaffective disorder. Design • The research team performed 2 case studies. Setting • The study took place at Arizona Natural Health Center (Tempe, AZ, USA), an outpatient clinic where Dr Tara Peyman worked as a naturopathic doctor from 2008 to 2014. Participants • The participants were a 23-y-old female (case 1) and a 34-y-old female (case 2), both of whom had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder of the bipolar type. Intervention • Individualized homeopathic treatment was initiated for the 2 patients, who previously had received medication of atypical antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. Outcome Measures • A Likert scale was used to evaluate the intensity of each patient's symptoms at each follow-up, based on self-reporting, using a scale from 1 to 10, with a score of 10 being the highest. Results • During the course of treatment, both patients' symptoms normalized, and they regained their ability to hold jobs, attend school, and maintain healthy relationships with their families and partners while requiring fewer pharmaceutical interventions. Conclusions • The 2 current case reports demonstrate a successful integrative approach to the treatment of schizoaffective disorder. They illustrate the value of individualized homeopathic prescriptions with proper case management in the successful treatment of that disorder. Future large-scale, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies should investigate individualized homeopathic treatments for mental health concerns, because the diseases cause great economic and social burden.