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More Americans than ever are seeking medical help for mental and/or emotional difficulties. Some mental health issues can be treated with various types of non-medicinal therapies, but for others medication is the best treatment. Sometimes a combination of treatment types is indicated for the best prognosis.

The disorders most commonly treated with medication in the United States include depression, anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and bi-polar disorder (also referred to as manic depression).

Psychiatric medications (sometimes called psychotropic or psychotherapeutic medication) can help to alleviate disabling symptoms of mental illness. The effects of these drugs can be either subtle or dramatic. In some cases, a mentally ill person may not be able to function in daily life without the medication; with it, however, his or her symptoms may improve or disappear completely. This can improve both quality of life and functionality.

Psychiatric medications cannot ‘cure’ a mental illness. That is, they do not affect the causes of the illness directly. They are, instead, utilized to address the symptoms of the disorder or condition. For disorders whose cause may be situational (like depression, for example, or some types of anxiety disorders), medication may be necessary only for a discrete period of time. Other disorders, like schizophrenia, may require a lifetime commitment to medication to alleviate symptoms.