Common Antibiotic May Reduce Schizophrenia Risk

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University of Edinburgh

edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan

Nov. 5, 2025

A commonly prescribed antibiotic could help reduce the risk of some young people developing schizophrenia, new research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests.

Experts found that patients of adolescent mental health services who were treated with the antibiotic doxycycline were significantly less likely to go on to develop schizophrenia in adulthood compared with patients treated with other antibiotics.

Experts say the findings highlight the potential to repurpose an existing, widely used medication as a preventive intervention for severe mental illness.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that typically emerges in early adulthood and is often associated with hallucinations and delusional beliefs.

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