Editing Psychiatric medication (section)

== History ==
Several significant psychiatric drugs were developed in the mid-20th century. In 1948, [[Lithium (medication)|lithium]] was first used as a psychiatric medicine. One of the most important discoveries was [[chlorpromazine]], an [[antipsychotic]] that was first given to a patient in 1952. In the same decade, [[Julius Axelrod]] carried out research into the interaction of neurotransmitters, which provided a foundation for the development of further drugs.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Julius Axelrod Papers|url=http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/HH/|publisher=National Library of Medicine|access-date=6 May 2013}}</ref>  The popularity of these drugs have increased significantly since then, with millions prescribed annually.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Emily|title=Resources on the History of Psychiatry|url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/pdf/historypsychiatry.pdf|publisher=National Library of Medicine|access-date=6 May 2013|last2=Rhodes|first2=Lorna A.}}</ref>

The introduction of these drugs brought profound changes to the treatment of mental illness. It meant that more patients could be treated without the need for confinement in a [[psychiatric hospital]]. It was one of the key reasons why many countries moved towards [[deinstitutionalization]], closing many of these hospitals so that patients could be treated at home, in general hospitals and smaller facilities.<ref name=Stroman>{{cite book|last=Stroman|first=Duane|year=2003|title=The Disability Rights Movement: From Deinstitutionalization to Self-determination|publisher=University Press of America}}</ref><ref name=Eisenberg>{{cite journal|last1=Eisenberg|first1=Leon|author-link=Leon Eisenberg|last2=Guttmacher|first2=Laurence|title=Were we all asleep at the switch? A personal reminiscence of psychiatry from 1940 to 2010|journal=[[Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica]]|date=August 2010|volume=122|issue=2|pages=89–102|doi=10.1111/j.1600-0447.2010.01544.x|pmid=20618173|doi-access=free}}</ref> Use of physical restraints such as [[straitjacket]]s also declined.

As of 2013, the 10 most prescribed psychiatric drugs by number of prescriptions were [[alprazolam]], [[sertraline]], [[citalopram]], [[fluoxetine]], [[lorazepam]], [[trazodone]], [[escitalopram]], [[duloxetine]], [[bupropion|bupropion XL]], and [[venlafaxine|venlafaxine XR]].<ref>[http://psychcentral.com/lib/top-25-psychiatric-medication-prescriptions-for-2013/ Top 25 Psychiatric Medication Prescriptions for 2013] Author John M. Grohol, Psy.D..Psych Central.</ref>