title: Psychopharmacology: the bridge between psychiatry and biology.
abstract: The current enthusiasm for biologic approaches to psychiatric problems stems from the practical applications of clinical psychopharmacology. Effective drugs led to more efficient and humane treatment of patients with such disorders. Still, our present drugs leave much to be desired. As we have learned more about how they may ameliorate various types of mental disorders, we generate hypotheses about the possible causes of the disorders we treat. Thus we try to lift ourselves by our bootstraps; drugs generate hypotheses that one hopes will lead to better drugs. Although at times progress seems to be agonizingly slow, if we consider the great progress of the past 35 years one cannot be less than enthusiastic about the prospects for the next three decades. It has been my good fortune to have been connected closely with the developments of the past, a few of which have been discussed in this personal odyssey. It will be the good fortune of my younger colleagues to see the future realization of many of our hopes for better treatment and understanding of psychiatric disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Medical School, Houston.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Hollister
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D011600:Psychopharmacology; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs