title: Atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of affective symptoms: a review.
abstract: Atypical antipsychotics have demonstrated beneficial effects on affective symptoms, in addition to antipsychotic activity. Consequently, their role in the treatment of bipolar disorder and treatment-resistant or psychotic depression has been explored. Adjunctive atypical antipsychotic therapy appears to benefit patients experiencing manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and some studies suggest that monotherapy may also be efficacious. Clinical studies of patients with schizoaffective disorder and major depression support the use of atypical antipsychotics to treat depression. This review focuses on risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, and ziprasidone and provides evidence that these drugs demonstrate activity against manic episodes of bipolar disorder when used as adjunctive therapy and possibly as monotherapy and that depression in patients with schizoaffective disorder also responds to these agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27702-3319, USA. masan001@mc.duke.edu
authors.forename: Prakash S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Masan
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077152:Olanzapine; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines; D010879:Piperazines; D013844:Thiazoles; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate; C092292:ziprasidone; D018967:Risperidone; D000077152:Olanzapine