Healthy Lifestyles for Mentally Ill People Who Have Experienced Weight Gain From Their Antipsychotic Medications - 2

Management of Antipsychotic Medication Associated Obesity - 2

This program aims to help Veterans who take antipsychotic medications lose weight. We use a program based on the American Diabetes Association's "Diabetes Prevention Program," and we have modified it to fit the lifestyles of people with mental illness. All participants are educated about nutrition and cutting down fat intake, how and when to exercise, and the causes of diabetes and how to prevent it. Participants must be Veterans who live within one hour of the Long Beach, West Los Angeles, Sepulveda, or West Los Angeles VA hospitals.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Must be a Veteran
• Diagnosis of psychotic disorders, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar illness
• Age 18-70
• Clinically determined to require ongoing treatment with Second Generation Antipsychotics (SGA) such as olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, ziprasidone, aripiprazole, clozapine
• Experienced weight gain since treatment with SGA's
• Inpatient or outpatient at Long Beach, West Los Angeles, Sepulveda, or Downtown VA
• Competent to sign informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia (less than 1 year)
• Are pregnant or breast feeding a baby
• Have a medically unstable condition