A Safety and Effectiveness Study of Paliperidone Palmitate in Chinese Patients With Schizophrenia

Inclusion Criteria: * Signed informed consent to participate in the study obtained - * Confirmation of diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) within 5 years prior to screening * Patient is willing and able to fill out self-administered questionnaires during the study * confirmation that patient has been given an adequate dose of an appropriate oral antipsychotic for an adequate period of time before enrollment, but previous treatment is considered unsuccessful due to one or more of the following reasons: lack of efficacy, lack of tolerability or safety, lack of compliance and/or other reasons to switch to another antipsychotic medication Exclusion Criteria: * The patient's psychiatric diagnosis is due to the direct pharmacological effects of a drug of abuse substance or medication, or is due to a general medical condition (eg, clinically notable hypothyroidism) * The patient is treatment resistant in the judgment of the investigator * The patient meets the DSM-IV definition of substance dependence (except for nicotine and caffeine) within 6 months prior to entry * The patient has a previously defined hypersensitivity (anaphylaxis-type reaction) to risperidone or paliperidone or excipients * The patient has received treatment with a long-acting injectable antipsychotic within 3 injection cycles prior to baseline, received clozapine within 3 months prior to screening, received treatment with other investigational agents within 30 days of the screening visit, has participated in more than one investigational drug study in the past 12 months, or has planned use of other investigational drugs during the time frame of the study * History or current symptoms of tardive dyskinesia, history of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, or evidence of clinically significant cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, gastrointestinal, neurological, endocrine, metabolic or pulmonary disease in the past 6 months