Some Avoid Antipsychotics Because They Value Psychosis

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Side effects, mistrust, stigma, forgetfulness and lack of insight have all been studied as reasons that up to 75% of people with a schizophrenia diagnosis discontinue antipsychotic medication. Researchers in Germany, Switzerland and the U.K. explore the possibility that this choice may also be motivated by a preference for experiences that medication may eliminate. Psychosis is perceived by some as having benefits, the researchers say, while negative symptoms are perceived as debilitating. The researchers suggest finding treatments that are sensitive to the positive gains of positive symptoms for some, but ameliorate negative symptoms as desired. The study will be published in an upcoming issue of Schizophrenia Bulletin.
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Kermit Cole
Kermit Cole, MFT, founding editor of Mad in America, works in Santa Fe, New Mexico as a couples and family therapist. Inspired by Open Dialogue, he works as part of a team and consults with couples and families that have members identified as patients. His work in residential treatment — largely with severely traumatized and/or "psychotic" clients — led to an appreciation of the power and beauty of systemic philosophy and practice, as the alternative to the prevailing focus on individual pathology. A former film-maker, he has undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology from Harvard University, as well as an MFT degree from the Council for Relationships in Philadelphia. He is a doctoral candidate with the Taos Institute and the Free University of Brussels. You can reach him at [email protected].

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