Emerging roles for novel antipsychotic medications in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Antipsychotic medications are the mainstay of treatment for schizophrenia. The recent advent of atypical antipsychotics has provided new clinical options and set higher expectations for the treatment of schizophrenia. It is not yet clear how each different drug will fit within the therapeutic armamentarium and this lack is most evident with considering patients with treatment refractory schizophrenia. On the other hand, the expectation of superior efficacy, more benign side effect profile and potential to impact the longitudinal course of schizophrenia provide a rationale for the use of novel antipsychotics as a first-line treatment of schizophrenia.