[Olanzapine: a second generation antipsychotic drug and an "atypical" mood stabilizer?].

The term "mood stabilizer" has been widely used since the early 1990's but it still does not have a uniform and generally accepted definition. Usually, agents that are effective in ameliorating acute manic or depressive episodes and have some prophylactic efficacy against the recurrence of new phases are considered as mood stabilizers. Lithium is unquestionably the prototype drug of this class; others, like some anticonvulsants, have been subsequently added to the list.

A multicentre, randomized, naturalistic, open-label study between aripiprazole and standard of care in the management of community-treated schizophrenic patients Schizophrenia Trial of Aripiprazole: (STAR) study.

Background: Naturalistic effectiveness trials of atypical antipsychotics are needed to provide broader information on efficacy, safety, and tolerability in patients with schizophrenia treated in a community practice setting.

Method: In this 26-week, open-label, multicentre study, patients with schizophrenia requiring a switch in antipsychotic medication because current medication was not well tolerated and/or clinical symptoms were not well controlled were randomized to receive aripiprazole or an atypical antipsychotic standard of care (SOC) treatment (i.e.

Olanzapine versus clozapine in treatment-resistant or treatment-intolerant schizophrenia.

Clozapine has been the gold standard for treatment of patients with refractory schizophrenia but is associated with serious safety liabilities. This has prompted the search for therapeutic alternatives for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of olanzapine versus clozapine in schizophrenic patients who failed to respond adequately to antipsychotic medication or who experienced intolerable adverse effects associated with the medication.