Atypical antipsychotics were developed in the 1970s, as an attempt to find drugs with fewer side effects than typical antipsychotics.
An example is Clozapine, which is used when other drugs have failed, due to the risk of agranulocytosis (a potentially fatal blood condition). Clozapine acts in a similar way to Chloropromazine, but also acts on serotonin and glutamate receptors.
The effect of this is, as well as reducing positive symptoms, the reduction of depression and anxiety, and the enhancement of mood. It is therefore prescribed when the patient is at risk of suicide.
Risperidone is another atypical antipsychotics, and is designed to be as effective as Clozapine without the risky side-effects. It binds to dopamine receptors more strongly than Clozapine, and there is some evidence that it produces fewer side-effects.
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