The prevalence of metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome and hyperlipidaemia, is higher among patients with schizophrenia than in the general population. Although direct causality has yet to be proven, it is widely accepted that these conditions are associated with antipsychotic medication, particularly second-generation atypical antipsychotics. The development of metabolic disorders in patients receiving antipsychotic therapy was the subject of several presentations at the 156th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) [San Francisco, US; May 2003]. These studies assessed the prevalence of these conditions in patients receiving different antipsychotics, and their impact on healthcare resource utilisation. Interestingly, data from clinical studies suggested that aripiprazole ['Abilify'], a next-generation antipsychotic, was shown to be less likely to cause diabetes and hyperlipidaemia than other agents. This finding may have important implications for treatment practices, particularly in patients already at a high risk of developing metabolic disorders.