Long-term Antipsychotic Treatment and Brain Volumes | A Longitudinal Study of First-Episode Schizophrenia
“Antipsychotics are effective medications for reducing some of the target clinical symptoms of schizophrenia: psychotic symptoms. In medicine we are aware of many instances in which improving target symptoms worsens other symptoms. Hormone therapy relieves menopausal symptoms but increases stroke risk. Nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs relieve pain but increase the likelihood of duodenal ulcers and gastrointestinal tract bleeding. It is possible that, although antipsychotics relieve psychosis and its attendant suffering, these drugs may not arrest the pathophysiologic processes underlying schizophrenia and may even aggravate progressive brain tissue volume reductions.” Click here to read full article (PDF, 184KB, 10 pages, from ARCH GEN PSYCHIATRY/VOL68 (NO.2), FEB 2011)
