Broad therapeutic uses of atypical antipsychotic medications.

The atypical antipsychotics have a low incidence of extrapyramidal side effects (EPS), have improved tardive dyskinesia profiles, and have a broad range of therapeutic efficacy. These agents offer important therapeutic advantages that extend beyond their initial regulatory approval in several conditions and patient groups. The use of atypical antipsychotics is most relevant in the treatment of mood disorders, where these medications are being used increasingly for acute mood stabilization and in patients who are resistant to other treatments. Similar circumstances and clinical advantages pertain to the use of atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of behavioral disturbances in patients with dementia and in the management of personality disorders-both circumstances where conventional antipsychotics were initially poorly tolerated because of EPS. The low incidence of EPS associated with atypical antipsychotics is highly beneficial in several neuropsychiatric conditions. The extent to which endocrine and metabolic dysregulations associated with atypical antipsychotics will influence antipsychotics' role remains to be determined. As therapeutic opportunities evolve and diversify, atypical antipsychotics, because of favorable adverse-effect profiles, will have enhanced patient tolerability and use in nonpsychiatric conditions.