New Schizophrenia Drugs Show Promise

A new generation of drugs called atypical antipsychotics appears to greatly reduce violent behavior in people with schizophrenia being treated in community-based centers, according to a Duke University Medical Center study. The two-year study of 229 people found that schizophrenia patients who consistently took one of these newer drugs had less than a third the incidence of fighting or violence toward others, compared to schizophrenia patients who took older antipsychotic medications. The study appears in the latest issue of Schizophrenia Bulletin.