National Institute of Mental Health

About the author: The National Institute of Mental Health is an agency of the U.S. government that conducts research on mental illness.

The majority of people with schizophrenia improve greatly when treated with antipsychotic drugs. Since 1990, a number of new medications have been introduced that are effective in treating the symptoms of schizophrenia, especially hallucinations, agitation, and delusions. One of the advantages of these new antipsychotic drugs is that they carry a lower risk of side effects than their predecessors. Although patients in the early phases of drug treatment may suffer from drowsiness, muscle spasms, dry mouth, or blurred vision, many of these side effects can by corrected by lowering the dosage or can be controlled by other medications. In addition, the newer drugs...