NIMH Pages about Medications

Publications about Medications

Treatment of Children with Mental Illness
Treatment Children Answers to frequently asked questions about the treatment of mental disorders in children. En Español
Mental Health Medications
Mental Health Medications This guide describes the types of medications used to treat mental disorders, side effects of medications, directions for taking medications, and includes any FDA warnings.

Science News about Medications

Long-term Course of ADHD Diagnosed in Preschool Years Can be Chronic and Severe
Science Update • February 12, 2013
preschool-aged boy

Long-term Course of ADHD Diagnosed in Preschool Years Can be Chronic and Severe

Gene Variants Implicated in Extreme Weight Gain Associated with Antipsychotics
Science Update • October 12, 2012
doctor writing prescription

A small study suggests that people with certain genetic variants may be more susceptible to extreme weight gain if they take certain antipsychotic medications.

Brain Signal ID’s Responders to Fast-Acting Antidepressant
Press Release • August 03, 2012
MEG scan

Biomarkers identified in research on a fast-acting antidepressant can signal who will respond to the medication and are providing clues to how it works to lift depression.

Perinatal Antidepressant Stunts Brain Development in Rats
Press Release • October 24, 2011
abnormal axon

Rats exposed to an antidepressant just before and after birth showed substantial brain abnormalities and behaviors, in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Prescribed stimulant use for ADHD continues to rise steadily
Press Release • September 28, 2011
young boy writing in booklet

The prescribed use of stimulant medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rose slowly but steadily from 1996 to 2008, according to a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).


Posts about Medications

Experimental Medicine

By Thomas Insel on June 12, 2012

Dr. Insel discusses the crisis of medication development for mental disorders.

Balancing Immediate Needs with Future Innovation

By Thomas Insel on January 26, 2012

Dr. Insel responds to discussion from the National Advisory Mental Health Council concerning the need to balance research funding for basic science and mental health services.

Treatment Development: Where do we go from here?

By Thomas Insel on January 05, 2012

Dr. Insel discusses opportunities for treatment development.

NIMH’s Top 10 Research Advances of 2011

By Thomas Insel on December 23, 2011

Dr. Insel shares NIMH’s Top 10 Research Advances for 2011.

Treatment Development: Where do we go from here?

By Thomas Insel on December 22, 2011

Dr. Insel discusses opportunities for treatment development.


Meeting Summaries about Medications

The 13th NIMH Biennial Research Conference on the Economics of Mental Health
September 25, 2006 – September 26, 2006
Bethesda, Maryland

In September 2006, the NIMH Division of Services and Intervention Research (DSIR) sponsored a national research conference on mental health economics.
NIMH/National Business Group on Health Roundtable on Medication Management in Employer-Based Behavioral Health Systems
July 01, 2006
Washington, DC

The Services Research and Clinical Epidemiology Branch of the NIMH Division of Services and Intervention Research held this one-day meeting to identify relevant research findings for employers and to discuss new opportunities to bridge the gap between research and practice.
NCDEU Meeting
June 01, 2006
Boca Raton, Florida

Named after the original NIMH New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit clinical trials program, the NCDEU meeting has grown and evolved over the years to include a broad range of academic and industry investigators, practitioners, and NIMH and FDA staff.

Director’s Updates about Medications

NIMH Perspective on Diagnosing and Treating Bipolar Disorder in Children

September 03, 2007

A recently published research paper (September 2007, Archives of General Psychiatry) reported a 40-fold increase in the rate of diagnosing bipolar disorder in youth over the past decade.

NIMH Perspective on Antipsychotic Reimbursement: Using Results from the CATIE Cost Effectiveness Study

December 01, 2006

The recent publication (December 1, 2006, American Journal of Psychiatry) of the cost-effectiveness results from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials in Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) has raised questions among advocates, families, and clinicians about reimbursement policies for antipsychotic medications.

NIMH Perspective on Treating Alzheimer’s Patients with Antipsychotic Medications

October 12, 2006

The recent publication of phase 1 results from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials in Intervention Effectiveness for Alzheimer's disease (CATIE-AD) in the New England Journal of Medicine provides new information about the use of several "atypical" antipsychotic medications for the treatment of psychotic symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease.