A free community lecture by a national expert on schizophrenia treatment will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Dec. 10 at Peak Vista Community Health Centers, 2828 International Circle, Suite 120, in Colorado Springs.

The main speaker, Dr. Rob Laitman, is a New York physician who specializes in the use of clozapine to treat treatment-resistant schizophrenia, schizoaffective and some bipolar disorders.

His wife, Dr. Ann Mandel Laitman, also will be presenting. The couple’s son, Daniel Laitman, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and is being treated with clozapine. He works as a Manhattan-based comedian and is defined as being in recovery from schizophrenia.

In his talk, “Clozapine Initiation and Management,” Rob Laitman will discuss a protocol he developed to guide prescribers through effective and safe initiation and management of clozapine, including how to handle side effects.

The event is for individuals and families affected by schizophrenia as well as medical professionals. It’s free but registration is requested. For more information and to register, go to https://www.peakvista.org/blog/community-lecture-on-schizophrenia-treatment.

A documentary, “Into the Light–Meaningful Recovery from Psychosis,” also will be shown, and Daniel Laitman, the comic, will perform.

Event sponsors are Peak Vista and Colorado Mad Moms, a group that advocates for legislation to improve conditions for people who have serious mental illness and is currently calling for more in-patient beds, changes to the competency process for offenders and other issues.

Clozapine is widely recognized as the gold standard for people who have not responded to other antipsychotic medication. It’s also the only Food and Drug Administration-approved drug for reducing suicide in schizophrenia disorders.

Research shows up to 70% of patients show improvement using clozapine.

An estimated 814,000 to 1.2 million Americans have treatment-resistant schizophrenia, yet only about 148,000 were prescribed clozapine.