The article deals with the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, clinical presentation, dia­gnosis and treatment of selected groups of psychotropic drugs, namely benzodiazepines, monoamin oxidase inhibitors, cyclic antidepressants and second generation serotonergic anti­depressants. Epidemiologically speaking, poisonings with benzodiazepines are the commonest type of poisoning among the aforementioned groups in Slovenia. The clinical presentation of benzodiazepine poisoning is usually dominated by a decreased level of consciousness, with­out cardiovascular or respiratory depression. Poisonings with monoamin oxidase inhibitors show distinct characteristics of adrenergic toxidrome, and the serotonin syndrome is also a pos­sible entity. Poisonings with cyclic antidepressants are the most dramatic from this group of drugs; they present as a combination of anticholinergic toxidrome, cardiovascular depres­sion and/or convulsions. In recent years, poisonings with serotonergic antidepressants are becoming more common epidemiologically, with a somewhat less dramatic clinical presen­tation consisting mainly of central nervous system depression, while respiratory depression is present very rarely. Treatment of poisoning is mainly symptomatic; a specific antidote can be administered only in benzodiazepine poisoning.