atypical antipsychotic

An atypical antipsychotic is a drug used to return individuals with psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder {when used with antidepressants}) back into a normal or sedated state. There is no generalization for how these drugs work, but they mostly focus on dopamine and serotonin activity. Examples include: Zyprexa (olanzapine) Seroquel and Seroquel XR (quetiapine) Risperdal (risperidone) Abilify (aripiprazole) Clozaril (clozapine) The image is the 3D structure of olanzapine free base (meaning no modifications to the molecule such as in quetiapine's fumaric acid salt, quetiapine fumarate.)