Accelerating the Pace of Psychiatric Drug Discovery There is an urgent need for new medications to treat mental disorders. Existing medications can be helpful but have significant limitations: for example, antidepressants now available require weeks to take effect and they fail to relieve symptoms in about a third of people who try them. Currently approved medications also do not target some of the core symptoms of CNS disorders, for example, cognitive difficulties in schizophrenia and the repetitive behaviors, social function, and communication deficits associated with autism. Side effects of the marketed drugs can also be a significant issue for patients.