Editing Psychopharmacology (section)

===Modern psychopharmacology===
The dawn of contemporary psychopharmacology marked the beginning of the use of psychiatric drugs to treat psychological illnesses. It brought with it the use of opiates and barbiturates for the management of acute behavioral issues in patients. In the early stages, psychopharmacology was primarily used for sedation. With the 1950s came the establishment of [[lithium (medication)|lithium]] for [[mania]], [[chlorpromazine]] for [[Psychosis|psychoses]], and then in rapid succession, the development of tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and benzodiazepines, among other antipsychotics and antidepressants. A defining feature of this era includes an evolution of research methods, with the establishment of [[placebo-controlled]], [[blinded experiment|double-blind]] studies, and the development of methods for analyzing blood levels with respect to clinical outcome and increased sophistication in clinical trials. The early 1960s revealed a revolutionary model by [[Julius Axelrod]] describing nerve signals and [[synaptic transmission]], which was followed by a drastic increase of biochemical brain research into the effects of psychotropic agents on brain chemistry.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Career Planning for Psychiatrists| vauthors = Arana GW, Rames L |publisher=American Psychiatric Press|year=1995|isbn=978-0-88048-197-7| veditors = Mogul KM, Dickstein LJ |series=Issues in Psychiatry|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=25–34|chapter=Chapter Three: Psychopharmacology|lccn=95001384}}</ref> After the 1960s, the field of psychiatry shifted to incorporate the indications for and efficacy of pharmacological treatments, and began to focus on the use and toxicities of these medications.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Coryell W | title = Shifts in attitudes among psychiatric residents: serial measures over 10 years | journal = The American Journal of Psychiatry | volume = 144 | issue = 7 | pages = 913–917 | date = July 1987 | pmid = 3605403 | doi = 10.1176/ajp.144.7.913 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Garfinkel PE, Cameron P, Kingstone E | title = Psychopharmacology education in psychiatry | journal = Canadian Journal of Psychiatry | volume = 24 | issue = 7 | pages = 644–651 | date = November 1979 | pmid = 519630 | doi = 10.1177/070674377902400708 | s2cid = 208220503 }}</ref> The 1970s and 1980s were further marked by a better understanding of the synaptic aspects of the action mechanisms of drugs. However, the model has its critics, too – notably [[Joanna Moncrieff]] and the [[Critical Psychiatry Network]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}