The Birth of the Idea of an ‘Antipsychotic’

Abstract

The neuroleptic drugs are psychiatry’smost notorious drug treatment. They are the principle treatment for the most severe and symbolic of psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia or psychosis, but they are intensely disliked by many patients who therefore often have to be forced or pressurised to take them. They are also afocus of controversy due to claims about their brain damaging effects. They have been known under many names including major tranquillisers and phenoth-iazines, but are now mostly referred to as ‘antipsychotics’ aterm that originated in North America. However to avoid the implications of disease specificity that this name implies Iwill mainly refer to them here as ‘neuroleptics’, aterm that, as Iexplain below,better describes their characteristic actions.