This story was originally published in the GenZeal feature of LNP on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
By Natalie Di Maggio ‘26
“They killed my creativity, my brain felt wrapped in a cotton matting; I was living a half-life,” said one participant in a study about the positive and negative effects of antipsychotic medication that was published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2019 and archived by the National Institutes of Health.
That quoted experience captures what clinical language often obscures — the fact that, for many patients, antipsychotics just replace one form of suffering with another.
Originally marketed in the 1950s as essentially a “chemical lobotomy,” antipsychotics remain the default treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. For decades, many psychiatrists have continued to rely on these medications as a one-size-fits-all solution, despite mounting evidence that non-drug treatments such as psychotherapy and sustained social support can be equally effective for some patients.
Side effects of antipsychotics are measurably significant. Many people who have stopped taking antipsychotics reported intolerable side effects as a reason in some surveys. Those side effects include weight gain, cardiovascular problems, involuntary movements, emotional numbing and cognitive slowing — all changes that erode daily functioning.
Some research has also linked antipsychotics to brain-structure changes associated with worsening schizophrenia symptoms. Suicidal thoughts have also been a reported adverse side effect in some instances.
Global outcomes further challenge current prescribing norms. In countries where antipsychotics are used sparingly and treatment focuses on therapy and community support, two-thirds of people with schizophrenia function well long-term, according to one study.
Another comparative study found no significant difference in symptom severity between medicated and unmedicated groups, while unmedicated patients showed stronger social functioning.
At the Soteria House project in the 1970s and early 1980s, clinicians involved in the program raised concerns that antipsychotic medication might dull patients’ ability to communicate, which they believed could hinder recovery and insight.
Despite the risks, patients are rarely educated about side effects. In one international study, about 70% of patients said they didn’t recall being informed of potential side effects before taking antipsychotics. Some patients are cycled through medications indefinitely and are told that lifelong treatment is unavoidable, even when the benefits diminish.
Antipsychotics may lower mortality rates, according to Columbia University Psychiatry, but extending life without taking into account its quality presents ethical issues that I believe pharmaceutical companies and psychiatrists cannot overlook.
Second-generation antipsychotics are superior to first-generation ones, but further research and development are still needed. As I see it, stability gained at the expense of identity, autonomy and dignity does not constitute true recovery. Psychiatrists should prioritize individualized treatment, informed consent and evidence-based alternatives.
Mental health treatments should restore lives, not quiet them.
Psychiatrists should Reform how they Prescribe Antipsychotics
This story was originally published in the GenZeal feature of LNP on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
By Natalie Di Maggio ‘26
“They killed my creativity, my brain felt wrapped in a cotton matting; I was living a half-life,” said one participant in a study about the positive and negative effects of antipsychotic medication that was published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2019 and archived by the National Institutes of Health.
That quoted experience captures what clinical language often obscures — the fact that, for many patients, antipsychotics just replace one form of suffering with another.
Originally marketed in the 1950s as essentially a “chemical lobotomy,” antipsychotics remain the default treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. For decades, many psychiatrists have continued to rely on these medications as a one-size-fits-all solution, despite mounting evidence that non-drug treatments such as psychotherapy and sustained social support can be equally effective for some patients.
Side effects of antipsychotics are measurably significant. Many people who have stopped taking antipsychotics reported intolerable side effects as a reason in some surveys. Those side effects include weight gain, cardiovascular problems, involuntary movements, emotional numbing and cognitive slowing — all changes that erode daily functioning.
Some research has also linked antipsychotics to brain-structure changes associated with worsening schizophrenia symptoms. Suicidal thoughts have also been a reported adverse side effect in some instances.
Global outcomes further challenge current prescribing norms. In countries where antipsychotics are used sparingly and treatment focuses on therapy and community support, two-thirds of people with schizophrenia function well long-term, according to one study.
Another comparative study found no significant difference in symptom severity between medicated and unmedicated groups, while unmedicated patients showed stronger social functioning.
At the Soteria House project in the 1970s and early 1980s, clinicians involved in the program raised concerns that antipsychotic medication might dull patients’ ability to communicate, which they believed could hinder recovery and insight.
Despite the risks, patients are rarely educated about side effects. In one international study, about 70% of patients said they didn’t recall being informed of potential side effects before taking antipsychotics. Some patients are cycled through medications indefinitely and are told that lifelong treatment is unavoidable, even when the benefits diminish.
Antipsychotics may lower mortality rates, according to Columbia University Psychiatry, but extending life without taking into account its quality presents ethical issues that I believe pharmaceutical companies and psychiatrists cannot overlook.
Second-generation antipsychotics are superior to first-generation ones, but further research and development are still needed. As I see it, stability gained at the expense of identity, autonomy and dignity does not constitute true recovery. Psychiatrists should prioritize individualized treatment, informed consent and evidence-based alternatives.
Mental health treatments should restore lives, not quiet them.
Sources:
6. https://ourworldindata.org/antipsychotic-medications-timeline