Doctor and patient

Barriers to Shared Decision Making in the Prescription of Antipsychotics

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

Breaking Blind: Antipsychotic Drug Efficacy May Be Overestimated

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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.

Antipsychotics Linked to Increased Breast Cancer Risk

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

Schizophrenia Prevents Cancer; Antipsychotics May Cause It

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In a review of all 59,233 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia in Sweden between 1965 and 2008, researchers from Sweden and the U.S. identified 6137...

Relapse in Antipsychotic Drug Trials is Poorly Defined

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There is a lack of consensus in the definition of ‘relapse’ across randomized controlled trials of antipsychotic maintenance treatment for schizophrenia and psychosis.

FDA Warns About New Impulse-Control Problems Associated With Abilify

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Yesterday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning that the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole or Abilify is associated with compulsive and uncontrollable...

Meta-Analysis Ties Gray Matter Loss to Antipsychotic Dose

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Antipsychotics are currently the predominant treatment for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, but there is an accumulating body of research that links the use of these drugs to structural abnormalities in the brain. A recent meta-analysis suggests that gray matter loss in the brain may depend on the dose and class of the antipsychotic.

Danish Study Finds Better 10-year Outcomes in Patients Off Antipsychotics

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Study finds that 74% of patients with a psychotic disorder off antipsychotics at end of 10 years are in remission.

Infants Exposed to Psychotropic Drugs During Pregnancy At Risk

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New research published in the July issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that the use of mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and hypnotics during pregnancy is associated with increased health risks to the infant.

Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotics on Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

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One-third of adults with an intellectual or developmental disability are dispensed antipsychotics, despite having no existing psychiatric diagnosis.

Smoking Cessation and Psychiatric Drugs Cause the Most Suicidal and Homicidal Reactions

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The popular smoking cessation drug Chantix is the medication that most frequently makes people feel suicidal or homicidal, according to figures gathered by the...

Landmark Schizophrenia Study Recommends More Therapy

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Results of a large government-funded study call into question current drug heavy approaches to treating people diagnosed with schizophrenia. The study, which the New York Times called “by far the most rigorous trial to date conducted in the United States,” found that patients who received smaller doses of antipsychotic drugs with individual talk therapy, family training, and support for employment and education had a greater reduction in symptoms as well as increases in quality of life, and participation in work and school than those receiving the current standard of care.

Outcome Reporting Bias in Antipsychotic Medication Trials

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A new study in the journal Translational Psychiatry, an influential journal in biological psychiatry published by Nature, challenges the state of the research on antipsychotic drugs.
Illustration of man sitting on a red and white pill. He holds his head with pain symbols in the air above him.

Adding Antipsychotics Worsens Outcomes in Psychotic Depression

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Outcomes were worse for all, with young people on combination therapy twice as likely to experience rehospitalization or death by suicide than those on antidepressants alone.

Abilify Can Worsen Psychosis & Aggression

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In a systematic literature review, researchers from Canada and Japan found that the antipsychotic aripiprazole (Abilify) was significantly and causally related to increased increased...

Anticholinergic Medications Linked to Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia

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Researchers have found further evidence that the anticholinergic effect of psychiatric drugs can lead to cognitive impairments.
Question mark inside a maze in the shape of human head.

New Study: The Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P) Model Is Flawed

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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.

Patients With Schizophrenia Show Better Work Functioning Off Antipsychotics

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20-year follow-up study finds that after four years, patients not prescribed antipsychotics have significantly better work functioning.

Largest Survey of Antipsychotic Experiences Reveals Negative Results

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A new survey exploring antipsychotic user experience finds that more than half of the participants report only negative experiences.

Anticholinergic Drugs Increase Risk of Cognitive Decline

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A new study finds that anticholinergic drugs, like antidepressants and antipsychotics, are associated with mild cognitive decline.
Yellow sign reading "Cognitive Hazard"

Discontinuation of Antipsychotics Improves Cognitive Functioning

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A study, recently published in Psychological Medicine, examined the cognitive functioning of individuals with schizophrenia who discontinued antipsychotics, and those who maintained their antipsychotic...

Study Finds Improved Functioning for ‘Schizophrenia’ Without Antipsychotics

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Long-term treatment with antipsychotic drugs is currently considered the standard treatment for patients diagnosed with ‘schizophrenia.’ A new study challenges this practice, however. The...

Antipsychotic Dose Reduction Linked To Long-term Improvements In First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients

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Careful reductions in dosage levels of antipsychotic medications over time improved long-term rates of recovery and functional remission in patients diagnosed with a first-episode psychosis.

Study Highlights Difficulty of Antipsychotic Withdrawal

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New research finds insomnia, anxiety, and depression are common symptoms of antipsychotic withdrawal, highlighting difficulties of discontinuation.

Half of First-Episode Patients Respond to Antipsychotics

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No placebo controlled trials provide evidence of antipsychotics in first-episode psychosis.