Also known as Neuroleptics Also known as Major Tranquilisers (typicals only)
Antipsychotic drugs are primarily prescribed to treat psychotic illnesses but can also be used to treat bipolar disorder, insomnia, depression and even (in some cases) Tourette Syndrome.
There are three main categories - typical drugs, atypical drugs and Dopamine Partial Agonists (in order of discovery). Of the typical drugs, there are two main subsets - Phenothiazines and Butyrophenones and Phenothiazines are themselves constituted of Aliphatic Compounds, Piperidines and Piperazines.
Typical antipsychotics are often referred to as major tranquilisers as they tend to sedate heavily; the term has not carried over into the more modern antipsychotics as they cause sedation far more rarely.
Of the atypical antipsychotics Clozapine stands out as a more unique drug and has a different set of side effect to most other atypical antipsychotics.
Antipsychotics tend to block D2 receptors in dopamine pathways; typical drugs tend to be less selective in this action than atypicals, subsequently causing more side effects. A particular side effect of antipsychotics is restless legs syndrome and in some cases tardive dyskinesia; these side effects are typically absent from the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine and are meant to be completely absent from the atypical antipsychotic clozapine.