Guide To The Potential Side Effects Of Antipsychotics

Antipsychotics are psychiatric medications available through a prescription. They are chiefly used to treat psychotic disorders, which often involve psychosis, but they can also be helpful for other conditions as well. Psychosis is the medical term for hallucinations and delusions. The most common psychotic disorders antipsychotics treat are schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder doesn't always present with psychosis, but antipsychotics can also be used as a mood-stabilizing medication to lessen the effects of mania and hypomania. Some patients also respond well to antipsychotics for severe depression resistant to typical antidepressants. Very low doses of antipsychotics might sometimes be used to treat severe anxiety, but usually only after traditional anti-anxiety medication options have been exhausted.