What do antipsychotics primarily target in patients?

Antipsychotics primarily target symptoms of psychosis, which can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, and impaired insight. These medications are designed to help normalize neurotransmitter functions in the brain, particularly those involving dopamine pathways, which are often disrupted in psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. By alleviating these symptoms, antipsychotics play a critical role in improving the overall functioning and quality of life for individuals experiencing severe mental health conditions characterized by psychosis.

The other options relate to different facets of mental health. While emotional balance may be an outcome of various treatments, antipsychotics are specifically aimed at addressing psychotic features rather than emotional regulation alone. Physical health symptoms are more aligned with conditions that may require different types of medications or interventions. Lastly, social anxiety is typically managed through specific anxiolytics or therapeutic interventions rather than antipsychotic medications, which do not directly target anxiety disorders. Thus, the focus of antipsychotics is distinctly on managing psychotic symptômes.