Atypical Antipsychotics Edited By B. A. Ellenbroek & A. R. Cools. Basel: Birkhäuser. 2000. 236 pp. ISBN 3 7643 59 48 X

This is the best, most concise and comprehensive account of all aspects of atypical antipsychotics that I have seen.

Although atypical antipsychotics have been established as treatments for schizophrenia for nearly 10 years, and the science underpinning their discovery is well described and goes back 30 years, atypicals are the subject of a controversy that frustrates their routine use, particularly in the UK. Consequently, only a minority of patients are on these superior drugs.

Part of the problem is that many different disciplines have a say in this field, from molecular biologists and behavioural psychologists through to clinicians, economists and politicians. Only the most conservative opinions and practices seem to prevail, even in the face of overwhelming evidence for the efficacy of the atypicals. Such is the concern that there is even a review of these agents by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

The strength of this volume is that it brings together all of these areas under one cover. There are comprehensive chapters about the drug discovery process, receptor nomenclature and pharmacology, animal models of schizophrenia and imaging. There are also short reviews of each drug that include their clinical characteristics and pharmacological and neurochemical profiles. This is a valuable one-stop source of reference in this field.

The book is not perfect: a multi-review format usually has some overlap as well as variability in quality. Although this collection is the best of its type, some of the reviews are a little one-sided and thinly referenced. However, the majority of chapters are models of clarity and comprehensiveness. I would particularly congratulate Meltzer and Stahl on their contributions.

This is a vital addition to the shelf of every psychopharmacologist and a must for every medical school and research institute library.