Serotonergic mechanisms and current and future psychiatric practice.

The participation of serotonin (5-HT) in the regulation of diverse biological and psychological functions makes it possible for medications acting on 5-HT subsystems to play a role in the treatment of a growing number of psychiatric and medical disorders. The actions of new medications on the 5-HT reuptake mechanism are complemented by actions on the 5-HT receptors and on other neurotransmitter systems that may be effective in complex and treatment-resistant syndromes. New drugs acting on one or more of the seven major 5-HT receptor classes that have been identified thus far appear to be promising for the treatment of specific subtypes of psychiatric syndromes, from depression to anxiety to schizophrenia. A given serotonergic medication may be useful for more than one disorder because it acts on specific dimensions of psychobiological malfunction that characterize more than one disorder, dimensions that are mediated by more than one receptor.