Phenelzine is oral, MAOI (monoamino oxidase inhibitor)-type antidepressant. Phenelzine is a derivative of hydrazine and irreversibly inhibits monoamine oxidase. Phenelzine is used to treat major depression, particularly atypical depression, nonendogenous depression, anxiety, double depression (in which the patient can have a dysthymic mood and major depression), and psychotic depression (in which there are prominent psychotic features), as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and phobic disorder. It was approved by the FDA in 1959. Antidepressant activity arises from the increased availability of monoamines, resulting from the inhibition of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO). Reduction of MAO activity causes an increased concentration of neurotransmitters, such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine, at various storage sites in the CNS.