Treatments for chronic psychosis

Abstract

Psychosis is a mental condition characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorder; it spans diagnostic entities that respond to similar therapeutic approaches. Psychosis has no fully described tissue pathology, as vet, but is still identified and assessed symptomatically. The first generation of antipsychotic drugs was developed in the middle of the 20th century. The second generation of drugs arrived in the 1990s. This new group of antipsychotic drugs has potent therapeutic actions on the positive symptoms of psychosis with far fewer side effects, especially motor effects. However, each of the new drugs has its own characteristic clinical and pharmacological features that affect individual patient response. Understanding these individual drug characteristics can promote optimal drug choice and use in conditions of chronic psychosis.