It appears that nearly 25% of those residing in nursing homes in California are on anti-psychotic drugs. These can be dangerous drugs with some potentially horrible and nasty side effects. Would you want your family member being subject to this sort of treatment? This wide spread use may not be ethical or always even legal.
What should be done about this? Anti-psychotics are dangerous, and doctors are supposed to do no harm. Perhaps they are are not always doing no harm here. Perhaps these psychiatric prescriptions be prescribed more conservatively. Some call these drugs “chemical restraints”. This seems unfortunate, certainly. Hopefully, the future will hold positive changes for this industry.
