PSYCH 127A Chapter Notes - Chapter 13.10: Tardive Dyskinesia, Extrapyramidal Symptoms, Antipsychotic
Document Summary
Extended period of time, long term care. Address acute psychotic episodes and prevent future episodes. Allowed shift from institutionalization to community care. Antipsychotic drugs - reduce severity of psychotic symptoms. Some effects noticeable within a week but generally takes two or three weeks for improvements psychotic symptoms. Positive symptoms respond better than negative symptoms. But seldom eliminates hallucinations and delusional beliefs completely. Effectiveness confirmed by double blind placebo controlled studies. ~1/2 patients who received med were rated as much improved after 4-6 weeks of treatment, further improvements may continue. Patients treated with placebo showed much smaller rates of improvement and many deteriorate. 30-40% may be partial responders - improve but do not show full remission of symptoms. Treatment resistant patients may have more prominent negative symptoms, greater disorganization, and more evidence of neurological abnormalities. Relapse rate in the first year after hospital discharge if patients discontinue medication is about 65-70% Continued treatment with antipsychotic drugs reduces relapse rate to 40%
