A new study from the AARP Public Policy Institute finds that dementia patients living at home or in assisted living facilities are increasingly being given antipsychotic drugs. This is despite the fact that antipsychotics are not approved to treat dementia. They’re intended to treat serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In fact, the drugs carry what’s known as a black box warning that antipsychotic drug use by older dementia patients can increase the risk of death.