THE USE OF medication for the amelioration of childhood emotional disorders has enjoyed increasing popularity over the past decade. In this paper I will present a summary of the literature on this subject appearing in US publications over the past five years together with some reflections of my own clinical experience when appropriate. This publication will be organized as follows: A. A brief summary concerning neuroanatomy and neurophysiology sufficient to understand possible actions of the medications. B. A simplified clinical classification of drugs. C. A discussion of each major drug group in terms of clinical usage. D. A summary of general and specific recommendations. As far as possible, the medications listed are the ones most commonly used. Also, when a clinical characteristic of a medication is mentioned in either a positive or negative manner, the comments will represent the conclusion of the majority of