Non-Psychotic Use for Anti-Psychotics

A significant proportion of patients seen by dermatologists have skin disease complicated by a psychiatric condition. These conditions often give rise to social, legal, and ethical concerns which impede the proper treatment of these patients, commonly involving the prescription of anti-psychotics for non-psychotic indications. This paper clarifies the social, legal, and ethical matters which frustrate the treatment and recovery of patients from their complex psycho-dermatologic disease. Specifically, this paper addresses the ethical and legal issues associated with prescribing anti-psychotics for non-psychotic indications. The presented data shows that the internationally prevalent medical practice of prescribing anti-psychotics for non-psychotic indications is not only ethical and legal, but also an essential treatment modality in the field of dermatology.