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.