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Invited Commentary
January 2017

Medicating Distress

Author Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 2Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 3Center for Clinical Management Research, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan
JAMA Intern Med. 2017;177(1):42-43. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.7528

Chlorpromazine hydrochloride first became available in Europe and the United States in the early 1950s. A large, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that was conducted within the US Veterans Affairs system and included nearly 700 patients (all men aged ≤50 years) helped establish its efficacy for treating schizophrenia.1 The use of chlorpromazine is credited with large decreases in psychiatric inpatient populations around the world, as well as prompting a widespread search for other antipsychotic drugs.

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