Antipsychotic medications reduce vehicle crashes in drivers with schizophrenia: Study
Taking antipsychotic medications as prescribed lowers the risk of a car crash for drivers with schizophrenia, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) .
Schizophrenia can cause hallucinations and disorganized behaviour that affect the ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Most people with schizophrenia are prescribed antipsychotic medications that improve many of these symptoms. Researchers hypothesized that these medications may also reduce the risk of a motor vehicle crash — but only if patients continue to take the medication as prescribed.
Dr. John A. Staples and colleagues at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, used 20 years of population-based health and driving data to examine 1130 motor vehicle crashes involving drivers with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and prior treatment with antipsychotics. They found that taking antipsychotic medication as prescribed significantly reduced the odds of a crash.
“We found that perfect adherence to antipsychotic medication (relative to complete nonadherence) was associated with a 50% reduction in the odds of a crash,” notes Dr. Staples. “We believe our results suggest that antipsychotic medications reduce crash risk among individuals with schizophrenia.”
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