Antipsychotic in Spanish

Typical, atypical, and other words used with this class

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) describes two groups within the class. The older, first-generation medicines are sometimes called typical antipsychotics; the newer, second-generation ones are sometimes called atypical antipsychotics, which NIMH says treat a broader range of symptoms compared with older medications. A side-effect term often seen next to the word is tardive dyskinesia: NIMH describes it as a condition involving uncontrollable muscle movements that long-term use of typical antipsychotics may lead to. NIMH also notes that health care providers may ask people taking atypical antipsychotics to participate in regular monitoring of weight, glucose levels, and lipid levels.

What it means

An antipsychotic is a type of medicine used to treat symptoms of psychosis, a condition that involves some loss of contact with reality. Those symptoms include hallucinations and delusions (false beliefs). Psychosis can be related to drug use or to a mental disorder such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression. Most antipsychotics block the action of certain chemicals in the nervous system. Older, first-generation medicines in this class are sometimes called typical antipsychotics or neuroleptics, and newer, second-generation ones are sometimes called atypical antipsychotics. This page explains the word only; decisions about any medicine belong with the prescribing health care provider. In a life-threatening situation in the U.S., call 911.

Spanish term: Antipsicótico
Gender and article: masculine as a noun: el antipsicótico (plural: los antipsicóticos); as an adjective it agrees with its noun: medicamento antipsicótico
Pronunciation: ahn-tee-see-KOH-tee-koh

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
medicamento antipsicótico	General	Fuller form given as another name by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary; MedlinePlus en español uses it in the plural, medicamentos antipsicóticos.
neuroléptico	General	Listed by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary as another name for antipsicótico.
antisicótico	General	Alternative spelling without the p, accepted by the RAE dictionary; antipsicótico is the headword form.

The Real Academia Española dictionary enters the word as antipsicótico, ca, a medical adjective meaning "that combats psychosis", and notes that when it is applied to a medicine it is also used as a masculine noun. Both patterns are therefore standard: the noun el antipsicótico (plural los antipsicóticos) and the adjective in un medicamento antipsicótico. The written accent falls on the ó. The p of -psi- belongs to the headword spelling, although the same dictionary also accepts antisicótico.

The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary gives medicamento antipsicótico and neuroléptico as other names for the same type of medicine. In English, the National Institute of Mental Health says the older, first-generation medicines are the ones sometimes called neuroleptics. MedlinePlus en español writes medicamentos antipsicóticos in its schizophrenia article, where two nearby terms are efectos secundarios (side effects) and discinesia tardía (tardive dyskinesia, a movement disorder with repeated movements the person cannot control).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	The psychiatrist prescribed an antipsychotic for you. Do you know what it is for?	El psiquiatra le recetó un antipsicótico. ¿Sabe para qué sirve?
Patient	Which symptoms is this antipsychotic supposed to help with?	¿Con qué síntomas se supone que me va a ayudar este antipsicótico?
Clinician	Have you been hearing or seeing things that other people do not hear or see?	¿Ha estado oyendo o viendo cosas que otras personas no oyen ni ven?
Patient	I have been taking it for three weeks, and I feel very sleepy during the day.	Llevo tres semanas tomándolo y tengo mucho sueño durante el día.
Clinician	Have you noticed any movements of your face or hands that you cannot control?	¿Ha notado movimientos de la cara o de las manos que no puede controlar?
Patient	I have gained weight since I started this medicine. Can we talk about that?	He aumentado de peso desde que empecé a tomar este medicamento. ¿Podemos hablar de eso?
Clinician	We are going to check your weight and order blood tests for your sugar and cholesterol.	Vamos a revisar su peso y a pedirle análisis de sangre para medir el azúcar y el colesterol.
Patient	Whom should I call if I have a problem with my medicine, and when should I call 911?	¿A quién debo llamar si tengo un problema con mi medicamento, y cuándo debo llamar al 911?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Antipsychotic
Spanish (Español)	Antipsicótico
Chinese (中文)	抗精神病藥
Korean (한국어)	항정신병약
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Thuốc chống loạn thần
Filipino (Tagalog)	Antipsychotic
Portuguese (Português)	Antipsicótico
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ยาต้านโรคจิต
Japanese (日本語)	抗精神病薬

Where you'll see it

prescriptionformularypharmacy receiptchartEOB

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Mental health

All terms in this area: Mental health — Salud mental

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.