Benzodiazepines have been used as anxiolytics for many years, despite well described withdrawal effects and drug interactions. Serotonergic antidepressants, which benefit from a favourable adverse effect profile and do not cause dependence, are now established first-line treatments for anxiety disorders. It is apparent, however, that current treatments are not ideal, particularly as they do not always produce a complete recovery. Our growing knowledge of the neurobiology of anxiety disorders, aided by advances in neuroimaging and pharmacological challenges, has led to the development of other potential anxiolytics.Agents with increased specificity for serotonin receptor subtypes have been developed, with the aim of maximising therapeutic efficacy while minimising adverse effects. Novel anxiolytics, such as neuropeptide agonists and antagonists, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)Areceptor partial agonists, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists, neurosteroids and others, are currently in development and may eventually offer alternatives to currently available agents.