There are many antipsychotic agents we can choose from. Although the older medications represented a big step forward in the treatment of psychoses when they were introduced, we soon learned that they were not without problems. They have varying degrees of effectiveness and a wide range of unpleasant side effects, such as muscle stiffness, extreme restlessness, and involuntary movements of the hands or mouth called tardive dyskinesia. Sometimes these side effects were so severe that residents stopped taking the medications.

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