Brian Davis, professor of psychiatry at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, was very supportive of the project and chaired the first group of writers. Philip Mitchell, professor of psychiatry at the University of New South Wales, was an integral member of the group for six editions. Professor David Ames, director of the National Ageing Research Institute at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, contributed his expertise to five editions. Professor John Tiller, psychiatrist at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, participated in the writing group for four editions.

Psychotropic Guidelines quickly became popular in general medical practice and among clinical psychologists because it predated specialist mental health training for general practitioners provided by the RACGP.

It also covered the many new medicines and compounds — some very costly — which were newly available to treat psychosis and depression.

The second edition of Psychotropic Guidelines, published in 1993, included writing group members from New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Comments were sought from all states and applied to the extensive revisions. Sales of the second edition of Psychotropic Guidelines exceeded, in some months, those of Antibiotic Guidelines. When the third edition was released in 1995, a new direct mail campaign targeted mental health services, psychiatric hospitals and day centres. In 2000 nurse educators at Deakin University enthusiastically included the fourth edition of Psychotropic Guidelines in the reading list. When she was director of pharmacy at the Royal Park campus of The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Jo Allardice served on the expert writing group for three editions of Psychotropic Guidelines. She became a TGL editor in 2008. The fifth edition was published in 2003, the sixth in 2008, and the seventh in 2013. Rob Moulds and John Dowden each chaired two versions.