Doctors are using the medications to treat aggression in people who are not psychotic or schizophrenic, but this does not come without risks, according to Dr. Paula Rochon of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto.

"Of residents newly admitted to a nursing home, 17 percent are started on antipsychotic drugs within 100 days of their admission," often for short periods to control delirium, delusions or aggressive behavior, Rochon wrote.

When prescribing these antipsychotic drugs, they should be prescribed with caution even if only prescribed for a short period of time. 

Atypical antipsychotic drugs by brand name include Risperdal marketed by Johnson & Johnson; Zyprexa made by Eli Lilly and Co.; and Seroquel sold by AstraZeneca Plc. 

In my experience with residents in nursing homes, our elderly are given not only antipsychotic drugs but other medications for all the wrong reasons.  Due to understaffing of these nursing home facilities, residents are given various drugs to over medicate them so they are easier to take care of alleviating the nursing home staffs’ work load.  If their patients are over medicated and sleeping during most of their shift, this drastically decreases the amount of work.  Over medication also leads to residents becoming confused and disoriented which potentially leads to falls.  Residents in nursing homes are generally frailer than older adults living in the community.  They tend to have more chronic illnesses and have difficult walking.  When a nursing home resident falls it greatly increases their chance of death due to their frail state and their ability to heal and rehabilitate. 

For more information on falls in nursing homes the following websites are useful: