Antipsychotic medications are also called neuroleptics because, in addition to their helpful effects, these medications often have side effects that are similar to the symptoms of some neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.

   Research shows that neuroleptics medications reduce schizophrenia symptoms in about two-thirds of patients. For about one-third of people with schizophrenia, neuroleptics control their symptoms almost completely. For another third, the drugs work to reduce the symptoms but do not make them go away entirely. The remaining third suffer from severe symptoms that cannot be controlled by neuroleptics medications.

   Neuroleptic medications work especially well for treating hallucinations and also help control delusions and disorganized speech. These medications do not work well for treating negative symptoms, such as blunted affect, poverty of speech, and avolition.

   These medications sometimes produce unwanted side effects, like, dryness of the mouth, blurred vision, and weight gain. Neuroleptics can also lead to disturbing movement problems, which are called extrapyramidal side effects (EPS). People with EPS often feel their muscles become very stiff or lose control of some of his or her movements.

   Unfortunately, for patients who discontinuing these medicines can have disastrous effects. Studies show that 60 to 80 percent of patients who stop taking the prescribed antipsychotics experience a relapse of the disease within a year.

   A newer class of drugs called atypical antipsychotics tends to have fewer side effects than conventional ones, so they are often prescribed when this is a problem. Atypical antipsychotics include clozapine, risperidone, and olanzapine. They do not work primarily by blocking dopamine receptors. Instead, atypical drugs seem to block receptors for serotonin, acetylcholine, and histamine, but exactly how they work is not known.

   A recent study showed that clozapine and olanzapine also reduced the suicide risk in many schizophrenics; this indicates that they affect mood and outlook as well as treat the usual symptoms of schizphrenia.

   However, atypical antipsychotics produce other side effects such as drowsiness, fast heart rate, breathing problems, and decreased blood pressure. Clozapine is also known to occasionally cause seizures, blood clots, and a fatal blood disorder that involves a decrease in the number of white blood cells.

   Psychotherapy is a type of treatment in which a mental health professional (psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker) uses words and sometimes activities to help a person overcome psychological difficulties.

   Medications help to relieve symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech. Psychotherapy helps patients to play an active role in the treatment process, think more clearly about themselves and their relationships, and make positive changes in their behavior.

   Three kinds of psychotherapy that are often helpful for treating people with schizophrenia are individual, group and family therapy.

• Individual therapy: the patient meets one-on-one with a therapist.
• Group therapy: consists of one or two therapists who work with a group of patients who share similar problems.
• Family therapy: one of the goals of family therapy is to help families learn to interact with their relative in a way that reduces his or her risk of relapse.