Antipsychotics are medications used primarily to treat the
symptoms of psychosis (a severe mental condition in which a
patient loses touch with reality). Psychosis is associated with
a number of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (a
thought disorder that makes it difficult for patients to
distinguish between real and unreal experiences) and
schizoaffective disorder (a condition in which a person exhibits
signs of both schizophrenia and a mood disorder). Antipsychotic
medications may also be used to treat the psychosis associated
with other medical conditions, such as dementia, in some
patients. One antipsychotic drug (risperidone) was recently
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat
irritability in children and adolescents with autism. Patients
with psychoses commonly experience symptoms such as
hallucinations (sensory perceptions of phenomena that is not
actually present) and delusions (false beliefs held despite
evidence to the contrary). Although antipsychotics do not cure
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