Mental Disorders

Abstract

FEW drugs are more overused than those for treating anxiety, and few are more controversial than those for treating depression. In contrast to the well-established therapeutic benefits of antipsychotic and antimanic drugs, the place of these drugs is less certain. Both anxiety and depression are strongly rooted in lite experiences, unlike the other two disorders, and consequently other types of management may take precedence.Antianxiety DrugsA wide array of drugs claim efficacy for treating anxiety. On the one hand are drugs that possess varying degrees of the pharmacologic actions of sedative-hypnotics: sedation, muscle relaxation, anticonvulsant action, habituation potential, tolerance . . .