J Clin Psychiatry. 1998;59 Suppl 12:46-52.
Atypical antipsychotics have become the treatment of choice for patients experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia. In addition, they are often prescribed for conditions such as bipolar disorder and dementia. While clinical trials have not yet established the efficacy of the atypical antipsychotics for these uses, a number of reports offer preliminary evidence that the atypical antipsychotics may be beneficial for affective disorders, substance abuse disorder, senile dementia, and pathologic aggression. Atypical agents may be particularly effective and tolerable in elderly patients who are especially susceptible to the adverse effects of conventional antipsychotic medication. Lower dosages are more necessary for the elderly than for younger adults. Current evidence suggests that clozapine is the most effective atypical antipsychotic for neuroleptic-resistant patients. Risperidone, olanzapine, and quetiapine may also be effective in a subset of these patients.
非典型抗精神病药物已成为首次发作精神分裂症患者的首选治疗药物。此外，它们还常用于治疗双相情感障碍和痴呆等病症。虽然临床试验尚未证实非典型抗精神病药物用于这些用途的疗效，但一些报告提供了初步证据，表明非典型抗精神病药物可能对情感障碍、物质滥用障碍、老年痴呆和病理性攻击有益。非典型药物在特别容易受到传统抗精神病药物不良反应影响的老年患者中可能特别有效且耐受性良好。老年人比年轻人更需要较低的剂量。目前的证据表明，氯氮平是对耐抗精神病药物患者最有效的非典型抗精神病药物。利培酮、奥氮平和喹硫平在这些患者的一部分中可能也有效。
