Drug treatment in psychiatry

Abstract

Modern drug treatment in psychiatry dates back only ten years when Delay and Deniker in France introduced Chlorpromazine. This followed the observation of the anesthetists that patients under the influence of this drug, though fully conscious of the surroundings, became indifferent to the surgical procedure. In 1952, Swiss scientists analysed and synthesized Reserpine, a drug which had been used for centuries by Indian physicians for the relief of high blood pressure and insanity. Berber introduced Meprobamate in 1954 and Kuhn observed the euphoriant effect of Imipramine in spite of the drug's structural resemblance to Chlorpromazine. In 1957 Kline reported his observation that tuberculous patients put in Iproniazid, a substance related to I.N.A.H., became very elated irrespective of their clinical condition. It will be noted that these break-throughs were due to keen clinical observations.