Antipsychotic prescriptions rising much faster than psychosis rates

England has seen a modest rise in psychotic symptoms in recent years, while antipsychotic medication use doubled over the same period, according to a study by UCL and City, University of London researchers. The findings, published in Schizophrenia Research , clarify that a previously-reported rise in psychosis rates is partly, but not entirely, due to changes in prescription rates, as symptoms themselves are increasing as well. The researchers found that antipsychotic medication use approximately doubled between 2007 and 2014, from an estimated 0.5% to 1.2% of people in England. The proportion of people reporting psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and paranoia, increased from 5.6% in 2007 to 6.8% in 2014. The study used data from over 20,000 people representative of the general population in England. Participants took part in one of three household surveys in 2000, 2007, and 2014. While equivalent data is not yet available for more recent years, NHS data going up to 2017 suggests that prescriptions of antipsychotics continued to increase beyond 2014.