The treatments of madness and the history of antipsychotic agents

Abstract

Objective: Review the history of interventions on madness, focusing on the Ancient Age, Middle Ages, Modern Age and Contemporary Age, and present it as an introductory text to the study of the treatment of psychoses. Development: Madness, interpreted in this text as psychosis, has been studied since the Ancient Age, initially interpreted as a phenomenon of divine influence, followed by the theory of humors, which lasted from the classical greek period until the Enlightenment, after which Moral Treatment and treatments of an asylum nature were introduced. From the 20th century onwards, biological therapies began, such as convulsive therapy, and, in the second half of the century, the first antipsychotics appeared. Thus, throughout history, several explanations and treatments have been formulated. In this paper, we discuss part of those theories and therapies, from antiquity to contemporaneity, with the exception of the various psychotherapeutic modalities. Final considerations: Although not all knowledge is sustained over the years, part of it is maintained and resignified.