History of Pharmacological Treatments for Mental Health

The belief that the origins of psychiatric disorders lay within the individual’s biomedical and genetic malfunctions gave birth to the term psychopharmacology. Ancient cultures like Ancient Indians believed that substances like rauwolfia had healing effects for spiritual health, and the different concepts of mankind throughout history (naturalism and spiritualism) shaped the use of pharmacological treatments for mental health at different times. The prototypes of modern psychopharmaceuticals were discovered for the first time between 1952 and 1958. This led to the development of biological psychiatry and to efforts toward effective treatment of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, and anxiety. Psychopharmacology is associated with further developments on mental health care during the late 20th century and the development of clinical psychiatry. The use of psychopharmaceuticals is ...