Eleni Tzavara is working on new drugs development for treating psychiatric conditions such as depression, manic depression and schizophrenia. In 2008 she was honored with the Science Prize of Foundation Bodossaki. Her research activity studies the disorders of neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity, which are related to the pathogenesis of mental illnesses, focusing on schizophrenia and manic depression. The main goal is the identification and delivery of new molecular targets for developing new medicines for these diseases.

She argues that the proper treatment of a mental patient is based on the medication and psychotherapy combination. The most important is the responsible, regular, medical attention by the psychiatrist who will prescribe the appropriate drugs and apply the indicated psychotherapy. Most cases of a new stroke in a psychiatric patient are associated either with the drug withdrawal initiated by the patient in a wrong way or, with a break-up of the sessions.