Selecting an atypical antipsychotic by combining clinical experience with guidelines from clinical trials.

Three atypical antipsychotics are currently considered to be first-line therapies for schizophrenia, namely risperidone, olanzapine, and quetiapine. Deciding which one of these agents to choose for any given patient can be a daunting task because head-to-head comparisons of these 3 agents are just beginning, and most published trials are comparisons with typical antipsychotics, not with another atypical antipsychotic. Furthermore, results from clinical trials often do not match findings from clinical practice.