Chlorpromazine: Paving the Way for a Better Understanding of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that impacts quality of life and can require hospital treatment. Schizophrenia is thought to have affected humans throughout history; however, it was first described as a form of mental illness in 1887. Notably, doctors did not effectively treat schizophrenia until 1951, when Dr. Heinz Lehmann discovered that a drug called chlorpromazine could be used to relieve the symptoms of this disorder. Although chlorpromazine was initially used to keep patients asleep during surgery, researchers learned that it was also helpful for mental illnesses. While the causes of mental illness are still not completely understood, the discovery of chlorpromazine taught us a lot about how the brain communicates, and we learned that issues with communication between the brain and the body can lead to some of the symptoms of mental illness. Overall, chlorpromazine paved the way for future drugs and improved the lives of millions!