‘Phony’ Diagnoses Obscure Number of Nursing Home Residents Prescribed Antipsychotic Drugs

A front-page story appeared in last Sunday’s New York Times about the rampant prescribing of antipsychotic drugs and diagnosing of schizophrenia in nursing homes. A Times investigation found at least 21 percent of nursing home residents–about 225,000 people–are on antipsychotic drugs. Furthermore, one in nine residents have a diagnosis of schizophrenia. “In the general population, …