Antipsychotic medications should not be used for what purpose?

Antipsychotic medications are primarily designed to treat specific mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and they are not intended for managing behaviors associated with dementia or other conditions without careful consideration. Using these medications for behavior control can be inappropriate because they may not address the underlying causes of the behaviors and can expose patients to potential side effects without meaningful benefits.

In dementia care, addressing behaviors often requires non-pharmacological interventions that are tailored to the individual needs of the resident rather than relying on medication that may have limited efficacy in this context. Utilizing antipsychotics in this way can lead to overmedication, which can worsen cognitive decline, increase the risk of falls, and lead to other negative health outcomes in vulnerable populations. Therefore, the focus should ideally be on understanding and managing behaviors through supportive and patient-centered approaches rather than using these powerful medications as a first-line strategy.