Psychiatric Drugs

*WARNING this episode includes adult themes and conversations about mental health and drug use.*


In 2020, the UK government revealed that 17% of the adult population of Britain were prescribed medication for their mental health. But when were these drugs invented? How were they tested? And how have they become, in some cases, ‘mother’s little helper’?


From antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications to stimulants and mood stabilisers - Dr David Healy takes us on a journey through the development and use of psychiatric - or psychotropic - medication, and how this development has in turn affected our diagnoses.


David is a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist, and is a professor of Psychiatry at McMaster University in Canada.


Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Aidan Lonergan.


Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.


This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and archive clips from Zoloft commercial 2001.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(400)

JFK Special 4. | How Jackie O Defined An Era

JFK Special 4. | How Jackie O Defined An Era

If the Kennedy's were America's first royal family, then Jackie was its queen.She was a style icon who, alongside her husband and president JFK, symbolised a fresh hopeful start in post-war America.An...

4 Des 202334min

AIDS Epidemic: Life & Death On The Frontline

AIDS Epidemic: Life & Death On The Frontline

How do we understand something as huge as a global epidemic?Similarly to Covid, the AIDS epidemic, which was most destructive in the 1980s and 90s, had such universal reach. Yet within that, there wer...

1 Des 202359min

JFK Special 3. | The Sex Life of JFK

JFK Special 3. | The Sex Life of JFK

“If I don’t have a woman for three days, I get terrible headaches.”That is what JFK allegedly told the UK prime minister, Harold MacMillan, after a meeting on nuclear arms. An interesting alternative ...

28 Nov 202340min

Section 28: The Anti-Gay Law That Sparked A Movement

Section 28: The Anti-Gay Law That Sparked A Movement

The 1980s have a lot to answer for - spandex, for one.It also saw the first new anti-gay law in Britain for over a century.Against the backdrop of the HIV epidemic, and increasing homophobia across th...

24 Nov 202338min

Napoleon's Sex Life

Napoleon's Sex Life

Napoleon Bonaparte has been described in many way throughout history. Conquerer. Lover. Legend. Shrivelled Eel?Perhaps you haven't heard the last description before, but that's how a journalist descri...

21 Nov 202344min

Ancient Goddesses of Sex and War

Ancient Goddesses of Sex and War

Sex and death are often intertwined: one is the start of creation, the other is the end.And as we’ll learn in today’s episode, ancient battlefields were the setting of intimate acts, too. One on one, ...

17 Nov 202332min

JFK Special 2. | The Kennedy Sister They Tried To Hide

JFK Special 2. | The Kennedy Sister They Tried To Hide

This November marks 60 years since President John F Kennedy was assassinated. His name is associated with history defining events, but it’s also connected with a dynasty, known for their celebrity and...

13 Nov 202344min

Love, Lust & Fighting in World War II

Love, Lust & Fighting in World War II

It can be hard to comprehend the magnitude of historical events, with World War Two a prime example of this.By 1945, some 3 million British people had served. As such, the rich diversity of masculinit...

10 Nov 202342min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
rss-katastrofe
henrettelsespodden
historier-som-endret-norge
med-egne-oyne
rss-historiske-romanser
sektledere
rss-benadet
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
historier-som-endret-verden
aftenposten-historie
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-gamle-greier
historiepodden-ww2
historiepodden
rss-historiepodden-ww2
liberal-halvtime
rss-alt-var-bedre-for
vare-historier