CHAPTER 16: Photodynamic Therapy and Schizophrenia

Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) in dermatology has proven to be efficacious and safe; moreover, it leads to outstanding cosmetic results. This has brought about its approval in many countries, mostly for the treatment of actinic keratosis, Bowen's disease and superficial and—partially—nodular basal cell carcinoma. Yet despite the available data and clear benefits of this treatment modality, PDT in most countries has not made it to becoming a standard and, therefore, refunded therapeutic procedure. This article endeavors to address the question of how such a paradoxical situation could come about, for even from a strict, evidence-based medicine point of view, reinforced by adherence to numerous guidelines, PDT should be amongst the most commonly used treatments for the diseases mentioned above and, as a consequence, should also be reimbursed by insurance companies. The fact that this is not the case demands that we seek the cause of this in healthcare politics rather than in medical facts.