ATC-0175 is a potent antagonist with a high affinity for MCH1R and additional affinities for 5-HT1A and 5-HT2B receptors. The receptor binding and the functional assay (MCH-induced increase in [Ca2+]i) indicated that ATC0175 is a noncompetitive antagonist at MCH1Rs. ATC-0175 exhibited anxiolytic effects in numerous animal models of anxiety including the elevated plus-maze test, social interaction test, stress-induced hyperthermia and maternal separation-induced vocalization. ATC-0175 also exhibited antidepressant effects in the forced swimming test. ATC-0175 increased swimming performance without altering climbing behavior, as observed with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. ATC0175 has adequate ADME profile (reasonable oral bioavailability and brain penetration) and potent oral activity in animal models. In contrast, ATC-0175 did not affect spontaneous locomotor activity, hexobarbital-induced sleeping time and did not impair rotarod performance. Thus, ATC-0175 may be devoid of unwanted central nervous system side effects, which are sometimes observed with current medications. ATC-0175 has the potential to be effective in the treatment of patients with depression and/or anxiety disorders.