[Image: Neuromagning Pharmacopoeia, (2022), Shows the difference between affected brains]
[Image: NIMH, Newspaper clipping about Breuning]
[Image: Neuromagning Pharmacopoeia, (2022), Shows the difference between affected brains]
Breuning’s Legacy: Neuroleptic Development & Impact
Stephen E. Breuning's pivotal involvement in the widespread use of neuroleptic medications in the United States had some unanticipated negative ramifications that changed the country's history in an unsettling manner. Stephen E. Breuning's pivotal involvement in the widespread use of neuroleptic medications in the United States had some unanticipated negative ramifications that changed the country's history in an unsettling manner.
While neuroleptics such as chlorpromazine were first heralded as a breakthrough in the treatment of serious mental diseases, their long-term usage showed a number of negative side effects. Many individuals reported devastating side effects, including tardive dyskinesia, a movement disease characterized by uncontrolled jerking and twitching motions.
Furthermore, the overreliance on neuroleptics as a major treatment strategy resulted in a disregard for alternative therapeutic approaches, such as psychotherapy and psychosocial therapies. This restricted emphasis on pharmaceutical remedies hampered a more comprehensive understanding and treatment of mental illnesses.
The development of neuroleptics also aided the deinstitutionalization movement, which sought to relocate patients from major mental facilities to community-based treatment. However, this process was frequently mismanaged, with little funds and resources assigned to support programs in local areas.
As a result, many people with serious mental disorders were released from institutions without adequate housing, work options, or access to continued mental health treatment. The lack of support networks contributed to higher rates of homelessness, imprisonment, and victimization among those with mental illnesses.
Breuning's support for neuroleptics, while well-intended, unintentionally led to an oversimplified and overmedicated approach to mental health care in the US. This legacy has had far-reaching effects, including a continuing stigma around mental illness, human rights issues, and continued difficulties in delivering comprehensive and humane care to individuals in need.
Sources:
López-Muñoz, F., Alamo, C., Cuenca, E., Shen, W. W., Clervoy, P., & Rubio, G.
(2005). History of the discovery and clinical introduction of chlorpromazine.
Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 17(3), 113-135.
Holden, Constance. “NIMH Finds a Case of "Serious Misconduct.” Science, www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.2881355.
Delay, J., Pichot, P., & Lemperiere, T. (1957). The use of neuroleptic treatment with a promethazine derivative in psychiatric disorders. In S. Garattini & V. Ghetti (Eds.), Psychotropic Drugs (pp. 487-491). Elsevier.