Experience with 1,003 mentally ill patients over a three-year period confirmed earlier evaluations of tranquilizing and analeptic drugs. By controlling the overactivity and aggressiveness of some patients and inducing a new interest in life in others, these drugs made it possible practically to eliminate the use of shock, sedation, and seclusion. It has thus been possible to channel the time of the hospital personnel into a more effective program of rehabilitation. Accidents to patients and personnel have been reduced, the life-span of the patients has been extended and their well-being enhanced, and the destruction of furniture, fixtures, and clothing in certain wards has been reduced to a tenth of what it was before. The saving of money in this category alone was more than seven times the amount spent for increased recreational material. It is emphasized that the use of the new neuropharmacological agents is only part of a program in which thoughtful individual care, proper nutrition, and good medical and nursing practices are equally vital.