Nearly one in four long-term care residents in Canada were prescribed powerful antipsychotic drugs without a diagnosis of psychosis in 2024-2025, according to a new report that spotlights a worrying trend, seniors’ health advocates say. 

Antipsychotic medications like Haldol and Risperidone were designed to manage symptoms like hallucinations in people with schizophrenia. The medications are also sometimes used to address symptoms like aggression in patients with dementia.

But the drugs are highly sedating and inappropriate use “can carry serious risks, including adverse reactions, cognitive decline, falls and even death,” the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) said in a report this week.