OBJECTIVES: There is little knowledge about current antipsychotic usage in France. We describe the new trends in prescription and the drug-specific patient profiles. METHODS: A cross sectional survey was conducted among a sample of ambulatory and hospital psychiatrists. Psychiatrists registered all schizophrenic patients treated for more than 6 months during the month of the study (2741 patients). A more detailed questionnaire was then administered for 1861 patients in 3 specific treatment categories. This sampling design allows for a sufficient number of patients within each category. Associations between treatment prescribed and patient characteristics were explored using a generalized logit model. RESULTS: Second-Generation Antipsychotics (SGA's) are prescribed as the principal treatment in 62% of the prescriptions. In 78% of prescriptions, only 1 antipsychotic is prescribed, associations are more common among first-generation antipsychotics (FGA's). Olanzapine is the most prescribed antipsychotic, with a market share of 28%. There is large variability in dosages. The average daily costs of treatment (DCT) range from 3.77€ for olanzapine to 0.14€ for haloperidol. On the whole, the average DCT of a French patient is of 2.26€. Some co-prescriptions are linked to the principal treatment, such as antiparkinsonians (related to a prescription of FGA's), antidepressives (related to risperidone), anxiolytics (related to clozapine) and hypnotics (related to amilsupride). Prescription patterns also vary between ambulatory and hospital psychiatrists; the latter tend to prescribe, among FGA's, more long acting forms and, among SGA's, more clozapine. Ambulatory psychiatrists prescribe more non-long acting FGA's and more amilsupride. CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of SGA's in France has modified prescribing patterns. These antipsychotics have a higher DCT. The co-prescriptions vary according to the antipsychotic prescribed as principal treatment, but the design of the study does not allow to conclude whether co-prescriptions are a cause or an effect of the antipsychotic taken.