A Short History of the Field of Psychopharmacology and Its Effects on Psychopharmacology Practice

Abstract

This article presents an overview of the history of psychopharmacology. We speculate on its future development as it bears on psychiatric practice. To do this, we first describe chronologically a history of the reactions to and treatments of the “mentally ill” over time, followed by a short history of groundbreaking developments and advances in clinical medicine. We then examine treatment practices and models of drug development from the past, which provide the foundation for the development of modern psychopharmacology practice. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2023;53(7):305–309.]