Antipsychotic is the name given to a class of drugs which are used to treat the symptoms of a psychotic illness. Although their most important use is in treating schizophrenia they are also used to treat the psychotic symptoms that may occur in a number of other conditions. These include: drug-induced psychoses; psychoses associated with mania or depression; the psychotic symptoms that occur in some medical conditions (such as Alzheimer's Disease and delirium); and the psychotic symptoms of schizo-affective and delusional disorders.
Antipsychotics may also be used for their sedating action in conditions that are associated with disturbed behavior, e.g. an acute anxiety attack or in panic disorder - where the patient is not, in fact, psychotic at all. In other words, they are not specifically 'anti-schizophrenic' drugs nor specifically 'anti-psychotic' drugs. To a degree they are effective in treating psychotic symptoms and other symptoms of disturbed behavior however caused.
