Treating Schizophrenia with Antipsychotic Medication

Doctor Anil Malhotra discusses antipsychotic treatments for schizophrenia, where medication regularly throughout lifetime is often recommended.

I think the data on whether a psychotic patient should be treated with an antipsychotic is fairly strong. The risks of being psychotic and the troubles that a patient can get into being acutely psychotic are quite severe and can include suicide. So most psychiatrists would recommend antipsychotic treatment for a patient who is suffering an acute episode of psychosis. Now, the duration of treatment with an antipsychotic could also be discussed here. After a first episode of illness, some psychiatrists will treat a patient for six months and then cease medication to see how well the patient does afterwards, but I think that approach is losing appeal over time. I think most people believe that once a patient has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, that for the most part they should take medications regularly throughout their lifetime.

schizophrenia, treatment, psychotic, medication, patient, antipsychotic, psychiatrist, psychosis, schizophrenia, medication, suicide, Anil, Malhotra

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