History of psychotropic drugs: Reopening questions (abstract: P. 14)

Abstract

The new psychotropic drugs produced in the 1950s became integrated into mental health care practices. Chlorpromazine, touted as the first effective antipsychotic, was a key actor in this process, and its history has been researched by various authors. This article aims to understand the “chemical shift” that these molecules produce in mental health, moving away from analyses that view them as "revolutionär)?' or simple technologies of “social control”. The analysis highlights the multiplicity of effects that psychotropic drugs can have, while keeping open the questions brought by these complex substances.