title: Clinicians' reasons for deviations from recommended dosing practices for antipsychotic medications.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to investigate clinician rationales for prescribing higher than recommended dosages of antipsychotic medications in patients with schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prescribers for all patients at two VA medical centers whose dosage exceeded PORT recommendations were interviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For 91/107 (85%) of patients, the prescriber responded that the current dosage should not be decreased. Positive symptoms were the most common target symptoms (94%), followed by negative symptoms (26%), anxiety (23%), and insomnia (13%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients receiving higher than recommended dosages of antipsychotics, clinicians were frequently able to cite specific target symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Service, 116A, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven Campus, 950 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516, USA. michael.sernyak@yale.edu
authors.forename: Michael Joseph
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sernyak
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosenheck
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D009511:New England; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents