Psychotropic drugs have revolutionized the treatment of mental illness, perhaps most profoundly in schizophrenia and depression. Psychotropic is a word derived from the Greek psyche, meaning the mind, and tropos, to turn or change. Psychotropic drugs are used to treat people with: 1) Clearly diagnosed primary psychiatric illness as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM- IV); 2) certain medical conditions--such as specific types of epilepsy; 3) emotionally distressing and extreme behavior which drastically interfere with a person's ability to function; 4) severe dysfunctions resistant to other types of treatment; 5) withdrawal difficulties associated with other psychotropic medications, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and opiates; and 6) sedation during dental or medical procedures not requiring anesthetics. Psychotropic drugs fall into four primary categories: antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety agents, and antidepressants. Each drug is specifically designed and/or prescribed to alter abnormal thought (such as hallucinations, delusions, distortions, and paranoias), abnormal...