Over 25% of Nursing Home Residents Receive Antipsychotic Medications

About 26.2% of the approximately 1.4 million nursing home residents in the United States received an antipsychotic medication for at least one day in 2010. Nationally, about 12% of nursing home residents of all ages have a mental health history. About 6% have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and about 4% have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, both conditions could indicate that an antipsychotic medication would be appropriate. Among the 357,387 residents who took an antipsychotic in 2010, 18.4% (about 65,759 people) had no clinical indication for an antipsychotic. The prevalence of antipsychotic use among nursing . . .