The Clozapine Clinic is an outpatient treatment program that provides comprehensive mental health services for adults that are currently being prescribed Clozapine or would like to be started on Clozapine. We are experienced in all aspects of Clozapine treatment, including initiating clozapine in the outpatient setting. Our team is closely linked with the Johns Hopkins Bayview Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program and other components of the Johns Hopkins Clinical Schizophrenia Program, including the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Inpatient and Day Hospital units. The Clozapine Clinic psychiatrists are full-time faculty members of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Why a special clinic?

Clozapine is the treatment of choice for refractory schizophrenia, which refers to patients whose symptoms have not remitted with other antipsychotic treatments. Approximately 30% of patients with schizophrenia meet this criteria, yet less than 5% of patients with refractory schizophrenia are treated with clozapine. There are many reasons for this discrepancy, including the difficulty in initiating clozapine, and the seriousness of the side effects. Patients on clozapine are required to be on a registry, and receive ongoing regular blood draws to monitor their white blood cell counts which can become dangerously low and lead to life threatening infections. For these reasons, many psychiatrists are reluctant to initiate treatment with clozapine or to follow patients who are already on clozapine. This has created a need in the community for a clinic that specializes in the use of clozapine.

Patients will have the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of knowledge about schizophrenia and its treatments by participating in research studies. The clinic will accept patients with minimal substance abuse, sufficient cognitive capacity to participate in cognitive behavioral and related forms of therapy, and a willingness to consider participation in schizophrenia research. 

Program Director: Frederick C. Nucifora Jr. Ph.D., D.O., M.H.S.

Services Offered

Initial assessment and ongoing outpatient psychiatric treatment

• Individual and family psychotherapy
• Group  psychotherapy
• Medicine management
• Case management services
• Referral to onsite Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program (PRP)
• Vocational and Housing services through PRP
• Educational support
• Referral to Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Inpatient and Day Hospital services if necessary
• Referral for cognitive testing by Johns Hopkins neuropsychologists
• Mobile treatment
• Research opportunities

Clinic Staff

The Adult Schizophrenia Clinic is staffed by an interdisciplinary team consisting of psychiatrists, mental health therapists, social workers, occupational therapists, psychiatric rehabilitation therapists, case managers and other specialists.

To Make an Appointment

We accept self and family referrals, hospital discharges, referrals from current mental health providers and primary care physicians. The clinic accepts some private insurances, medical assistance, and Medicare. You will need to call us to determine eligibility.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 410-550-0104.