Psychopharmacology

Psychopharmacology as a field of study developed in the early 20th century and has developed into a vast subject, with multiple professions and agencies having interest in the subject and a large number of textbooks and journals being published. Today, the medical and nonmedical use of psychoactive drugs has reached enormous proportions and has become a concern equally for the lay public, professionals, and regulatory authorities in contemporary society. The roots of the term psychopharmacology may be found in a collection of prayers published in 1548 by Reinhardus Lorichius of Hadamar with the title Psychopharmakon, Hoc Est: Medicina Animae. In recent times, the term has come to refer to the scientific study of a wide range of substances with psychoactive properties that influence the thinking, ...