
Recent reports show that nursing homes are prescribing antipsychotic drugs at an alarmingly high rate to patients that do not even require these medications.
Nursing homes are over-diagnosing patients with schizophrenia in order to conceal the high rates at which they’re prescribing antipsychotic medications, according to a recent report by the New York Times. Schizophrenia diagnoses among nursing home residents have “soared” as much as 70% since the federal government started making public disclosures of antipsychotic drug prescriptions in 2012. These prescriptions factor into nursing homes’ funding and ratings: nursing homes that prescribe them at high rates can receive lower ratings from the government, which in turn can affect their funding.