Antipsychotic Drugs

Summary:

Psychosis is a medical condition that can cause hallucinations or delusions, making individuals process the world differently. Antipsychotic medication is often prescribed to manage symptoms, which has been successful for 4 out of 5 people with severe mental illness. While psychotic symptoms are commonly associated with various mental health conditions, they can also occur on their own. Finding the right medication may require some trial and error.

Excerpt:

What are antipsychotics?

• Psychosis is a medical term. If you live with psychosis, you might see or hear things that aren’t there. This is known as hallucinations. Or you might have firm beliefs that don’t match up with the way others see the world. This is known as delusions.
• If you live with psychosis, you will process the world around you differently from other people. This can include how you experience, believe, or view things.
• Some people describe psychosis as a break from reality. Doctors may call these ‘psychotic symptoms’, a ‘psychotic episode’, or a ‘psychotic experience’.
• Psychotic symptoms can be part of conditions such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, personality disorder, and bipolar disorder. But some people can experience psychotic symptoms without having any of these conditions.

If you experience psychotic symptoms, your doctor may offer you antipsychotic medication to help you with your symptoms. Antipsychotics can help manage your symptoms of psychosis. This can help you feel more in control of your life, particularly if you are finding the psychotic symptoms distressing.

Research suggests 4 out of 5 people with severe mental illness, who take antipsychotics, find they’re successful in treating their symptoms. This is according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It isn’t possible to predict which one will work best for you, so you may have to try a few before you find the right one.

It’s important to remember it can take a few weeks for antipsychotics to work. You may not feel better straight away. Everyone responds to antipsychotics differently. It can take up to several weeks to reduce symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions. The effects of antipsychotics can take several weeks or months to work.