The hospitalized patients of the psychiatric wards especially treated with antipsychotic represent a risk group for the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Antipsychotic medication has been repeatedly found to be associated with an increased risk for VTE in schizophrenia.
The increased risk was more marked among new users and those prescribed atypical antipsychotic drugs. Authors on the basis of their experience and recent literature data suggest possible mechanisms in the pathogenesis of VTE in these patients.