The Use of Psychostimulants in General Psychiatry

• A half century after the introduction of amphetamine sulfate (benzedrine), there remains active interest in the use of the major psychostimulants (ie, methylphenidate hydrochloride and pemoline) for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In the absence of any recent review of the literature on the clinical uses of psychostimulants, we assessed the existing data on the adult psychiatric indications for these agents. Generally, the existing studies are old and inadequate. However, there is some evidence to support the judicious use of psychostimulants in selected clinical instances of several adult psychiatric syndromes.