Personally I would listen to pdoc as waiting the full year will drastically reduce your chances of relapse. The longer the episode lasts, the more likely relapse will happen and so the longer meds are recommended to be taken to try and reduce that risk. Personally I wouldn't want to increase my risk of relapse for the sake of a couple more months of meds.

I was on aripiprazole/Abilify for psychotic depression (with an anti-depressant too). I found it very helpful for eliminating voices, though it didn't touch the so-called delusions for me, but I only went up to 15mg (the recommended max dose is 30mg). At low doses it can be stimulating before it becomes sedating (for me that switch happened around 10mg). Between 6-8mg it made me very agitated - dunno if that was akasthisia or a mixed episode (as I'm now diagnosed bipolar 2), but it was quite unpleasant, though it only lasted 2 weeks.

I really wouldn't worry about death from meds (you have to try hard to ignore those thoughts and replace them with more realistic thoughts, thought I know this is difficult). The chances are really, really small and it may not have even be caused by the med (if someone died during the drug trial they have to report it even if the drug wasn't the actual cause of death).

Wishing you the best of luck with your med journey, and hope your cholesterol decreases off risperidone/Risperdal

*Willow*