Skip to main content
Book cover

Psychotropic Agents

Part I: Antipsychotics and Antidepressants

  • Book
  • © 1980

Overview

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology (HEP, volume 55 / 1)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (28 chapters)

  1. Antipsychotics Chemistry (Structure and Effectiveness)

  2. Antidepressants Chemistry (Structure and Effectiveness)

Keywords

About this book

The volumes on "psychotropic substances" in the Handbook of Experimental Phar­ macology series clearly show that the classical concept of this discipline has become too narrow in recent years. For instance, what substances are psychotropic is determined not by the criteria of the animal trial, i.e. by experimental pharmacology, but by their action on the psy­ che, which in the final analysis is only accessible to us in man. Psychotropic substances force experimental pharmacology (and thus also this Handbook) outside its tradition­ allimits, which have essentially depended on animal studies. The antipsychotics and antidepressants were not discovered in animal ex­ periments, but by chance (or more precisely, by clinical empiricism). Experienced psy­ chiatrists trained in the observation of patients recognised the efficacy of drugs, the beneficial effect of which nobody had dreamed of before: DELAY and DENICKER in the case of chlorpormazine, KLINE in the case of the monoamine oxidase inhibitors and KUHN in the case of imipramine. It was only after these discoveries that the pharma­ cologists developed experimental models of the psychoses in animal experiments. However, even today we still do not know with certainty which of the effects shown in animals is relevant for the clinical effect despite the vast abundance of individual investigations. For many years, this uncertainty led to the testing of antipsychotics (e.g. of the neuroleptic type) in models which actually produced the undesired effects.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Institut für Pharmakologie, Bayer AG, Wuppertal 1, Germany

    F. Hoffmeister

  • Institut für Arzneimittel des Bundesgesundheitsamtes, Berlin 30, Germany

    G. Stille

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Psychotropic Agents

  • Book Subtitle: Part I: Antipsychotics and Antidepressants

  • Editors: F. Hoffmeister, G. Stille

  • Series Title: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-67538-6

  • Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1980

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-642-67540-9Published: 18 November 2011

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-642-67538-6Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 0171-2004

  • Series E-ISSN: 1865-0325

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXIV, 736

  • Topics: Pharmacology/Toxicology, Psychiatry, Pharmacy

Publish with us