Newer uses for older psychotropic medications.

New uses are still being discovered for a number of psychotropic agents that have been available for some time. Among the more important recent discoveries are the efficacy of the tricyclic antidepressants for panic disorder and agoraphobia with panic attacks; the use of the monoamine oxidase inhibitors for the above disorders and for atypical depression and hysteroid dysphoria; the use of propranolol for anxiety disorders and for uncontrollable violent outbursts; the antianxiety and antipanic effects of clonidine; and the usefulness of lithium in treating schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder and for emotionally unstable character disorders. In addition to strengthening the therapeutic armamentarium, the author says, the discovery of new drug response patterns helps generate or strengthen hypotheses about the pathophysiology of various psychiatric disorders.