Making sense of the literature on antipsychotics and long-term functioning: taking natural history and...

This review examines the relationship between long-term antipsychotic use and individual functioning, emphasizing clinical implications and the need for personalized care. The initial impression that antipsychotic medications may worsen long-term outcomes is critically assessed, highlighting the confounding effects of illness trajectory and individual patient characteristics. Moving beyond a focus on methodological limitations, the discussion centers on how these findings can inform clinical practice, keeping in consideration that a subset of patients with psychotic disorders are on a trajectory of long-term remission and that for a subset of patient the adverse effects of antipsychotics outweigh potential benefits. Key studies such as the OPUS study, Chicago Follow-up study, Mesifos trial, and RADAR trial are analyzed. While antipsychotics demonstrate efficacy in short-term symptom management, their long-term effects on functioning are less obvious and require careful interpretation. Research on long-term antipsychotic use and individual functioning isn't sufficient to favor antipsychotic discontinuation or dose reduction below standard doses for most patients, but it is sufficient to highlight the necessity of personalization of clinical treatment and the appropriateness of dose reduction/discontinuation in a considerable subset of patients.