Schizophrenia treatment in Almaty

Reviewed byArman Magzhanov, MDPsychiatrist, experience 24 years · updated 8 Nov 2026

Key facts

ICD-10 code

F20

Who provides care

A psychiatrist, a psychotherapist, and rehabilitation specialists

Where

Home visits in Almaty and the suburbs, inpatient unit, outpatient follow-up

Duration

Acute phase 4–8 weeks, maintenance treatment for years

Anonymity

Paid treatment without dispensary registration

When it’s urgent

Aggression, voices ordering harm, refusing food and water — call 103

Outcome

Lasting remission, a return to studies, work, and social life

What you should know

A call from a mother on a holiday night: her son, twenty-two, hasn’t left his room for a second week, has taped over his webcam, and says the neighbors are reading his thoughts through the wall. Today he stopped eating, afraid the food is poisoned. The dispatcher calmly checks the essentials: is there aggression or a weapon, has he talked about suicide, does he use substances, has he been treated before? If there is no danger to others, the team heads out. At night, we reach the lower part of the city in 40–60 minutes.

In the apartment, I don’t argue with the delusions or try to convince him that the neighbors can’t hear anything. That is pointless and destroys trust. I say that he probably hasn’t slept for a long time and is very tired, that he feels anxious, and offer to help with that. Most often we manage to reach an agreement. Then, together with the family, we decide where it is safer to be treated: at home under supervision or in the inpatient unit. A first episode is almost always better treated in a hospital, where a full examination can be done.

Signs of schizophrenia and an approaching relapse

• voices commenting on the person’s actions or giving orders, visions
• a conviction of being watched or persecuted, or that ordinary events have special meaning
• strange, incoherent speech that makes it hard to follow the person’s thoughts
• a sharp drop in school or work performance and loss of interest in studies, work, and friends
• neglecting hygiene and food, shutting oneself in a room, staying awake at night
• emotional coldness, indifference to loved ones, inappropriate laughter
• in someone already diagnosed — disturbed sleep, anxiety, returning suspiciousness

If two or three points apply, it is worth seeing a doctor. Phone advice is free and confidential. If life is at risk, call 103 or 112.

What causes schizophrenia

Schizophrenia develops from a combination of hereditary predisposition and features of brain development. The risk is higher if close relatives have had the illness, but many people with schizophrenia have no such history. The illness usually begins in adolescence or young adulthood. The first signs of psychosis are often preceded by a prodromal period: months of declining school performance, withdrawal, odd interests, and disturbed sleep.

The onset can be triggered or the course worsened by cannabis and stimulant use, especially in adolescence, as well as severe stress and lack of sleep. Relapses most often occur after stopping medication on one’s own. Importantly, schizophrenia is not caused by bad parenting or weakness of character. It is a brain disorder that is treated, and the earlier treatment starts, the better the outlook.

How we help

Myths and facts

How a home visit works

1. Call or message usThe dispatcher answers 24/7 and in 3–5 minutes checks the person's condition, age, how long the drinking or use has lasted, chronic conditions and the address. No surname needed.
2. The doctor sets offAn addiction doctor or psychiatrist comes with equipment and medication. Travel time depends on the district — usually within an hour. If inpatient care or an ambulance is needed, we'll say so straight away.
3. Examination and treatmentBlood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation, blood sugar if needed and a neurological check. Then an IV drip or other treatment as indicated, 1–3 hours.
4. A plan for the next daysAdvice for the family on what to do overnight and tomorrow, phone follow-up and a repeat visit if needed.
5. Further treatmentCoding, psychotherapy, rehab or psychiatric follow-up — once the acute state has passed and the person is ready.

Prices in Almaty

The final cost is agreed before treatment starts. Prices are in tenge and do not constitute a public offer.

Where to get help

“Schizophrenia treatment” in Almaty is available 24/7, including weekends. Home visits: all city districts and nearby settlements. For appointments, Narcology 24 has two branches: 84 Zhandosova St., Almaty and 21 Seyfullina Ave., office 11, Almaty. If you live elsewhere in Almaty and Almaty Region, call us and we'll advise the fastest way to get help.

Confidential and private

Information about your request, diagnosis and treatment is protected by medical confidentiality under the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Public Health and the Healthcare System”. We do not share it with employers, schools, the police or neighbours; the only exceptions are those expressly set by law. A first name is enough to call us, and paid confidential treatment does not mean a registry entry.

Questions and answers