Antipsychotics

The antipsychotic clozapine, considered the “gold-standard” treatment for psychosis, was found to increase the risk of blood and lymph system cancers.

Only 4 of 188 antipsychotic trials assessed blinding, and in all 4 cases, the blind was broken, potentially leading to an overestimation of the drug effect.

Researchers highlight how systematic reviews are compromised by pharmaceutical industry ties by exposing a study of injectable antipsychotics.

New research examines service user attitudes on discontinuing and reducing antipsychotic drugs.

New research reveals that patients are often not given fully informed consent before being prescribed antipsychotics.

Withholding antipsychotics may be beneficial for memory, the researchers write.

“Patients expressed feeling unaccepted by society or uncomfortable in their own skin… A few indicated that they would rather be dead than have tardive dyskinesia.”

Long-term exposure to prolactin-increasing antipsychotics increases the odds of developing breast cancer.

Researchers developed a rating scale to better assess service users’ experiences tapering antidepressant and/or antipsychotic medication.

In JAMA psychiatry, researchers outline new theories connecting antipsychotic use in people with schizophrenia and increased dementia risk.

Research suggests that slowly tapering off an antipsychotic reduces the risk of withdrawal psychosis compared to abrupt discontinuation.

A new article in Lancet Psychiatry debunks past studies claiming that those on low doses of antipsychotics are more likely to relapse.

Researchers argue for a shift away from a focus on antipsychotic adherence toward understanding service users’ diverse patterns of use.

The CHR-P model focuses on “attenuated psychosis” to predict “transition” to schizophrenia and ignores other factors. But new research shows that the model is a poor predictor.

Researchers push for a renewed focus on true shared decision-making for patients diagnosed with psychosis.

Researchers have found further evidence that the anticholinergic effect of psychiatric drugs can lead to cognitive impairments.

Qualitative study finds that both internal resources and systemic factors play a role in antipsychotic discontinuation outcomes.

The recent report by the BBC on medication-free treatment in Norway, when viewed in conjunction with the media silence on Martin Harrow's latest publication, reveals why the public remains misinformed about the long-term effects of antipsychotics.

People with "serious mental illness" who stop taking antipsychotics are more likely to recover, even when accounting for baseline severity.

Psychiatry has long turned a blind eye to the full scope of harm associated with TD. New TD drugs "work" by further impairing brain function.

The increased prescribing of antipsychotics, which frequently cause a brain injury that manifests as tardive dyskinesia, has provided pharmaceutical companies with a lucrative new market opportunity.

A new study finds that anticholinergic drugs, like antidepressants and antipsychotics, are associated with mild cognitive decline.

A new study finds that adding an antipsychotic to existing antidepressant treatment is associated with a 45% increased risk of early death.

A new study finds adverse long-term consequences associated with the increased use of antipsychotics in first-episode psychosis.

An article in JAMA Psychiatry advises very slow tapering for best results when discontinuing antipsychotic drugs.