Final answer:
Atypical antipsychotics such as Trazodone, etoperidone, lorpiprazole, mepiprazol, and nefazodone are used to manage mania in bipolar disorder by acting as dopamine receptor antagonists, thus helping to stabilize mood and reduce symptoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Antipsychotics, also known as neuroleptics, are a category of psychotropic medication predominantly utilized for dealing with psychosis, including symptoms like delusions, hallucinations, and disordered thought, as well as in the treatment of other psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.
Specifically for the management of mania in bipolar disorder, atypical antipsychotics are often used not only for their ability to address psychotic symptoms but also for their mood-stabilizing properties. Popular examples of atypical antipsychotics include Trazodone (Desyrel), etoperidone (Axiomin), lorpiprazole (Normarex), mepiprazol (Psigodal), and nefazodone (Serzone), which play a pivotal role in these therapeutic regimens.
These drugs, especially in bipolar disorder, work primarily as dopamine receptor antagonists by blocking the effects of dopamine—a neurotransmitter linked with overactivity in cases of schizophrenia—thereby reducing symptoms of mania and stabilizing mood.