The range of therapeutic efficacy of atypical antipsychotics: a critical evaluation.

Atypical antipsychotics (AA) have revolutionized the treatment of schizophrenia, now being the treatment of choice for patients with this disorder. The positive therapeutic experience with the AA in the treatment of these disorders and their favourable adverse-effect profiles, has encouraged clinicians to extend their usage beyond their initial regulatory approval in several conditions and patient groups. It is noticeable that the positive results with AA in the treatment of aggression, depressive and manic syndromes tend to be overestimated and generalised, slowly creating the idea that these agents are omnipotent in the treatment of two big groups of psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia and affective disorders. The aim of this study is to summarize the clinical experiences in the treatment of these two groups of disorders, with the intention of taking the first step towards a clearer definition of their field of therapeutic usage and effectiveness.