title: From King Kong pills to mother's little helpers--career cycles of two families of psychotropic drugs: the barbiturates and benzodiazepines.
abstract: This article compares the careers of two families of 20th-century psychotropic drugs, the barbiturates and the benzodiazepines, in five different countries. Both families of drugs were used as so-called hypnotics and sedatives, and later as minor tranquillizers. In addition these drugs were extensively used as self-medication. The careers show a cyclical temporal course and generally encompass three phases: first, an expanding use of the drugs, accompanied by high expectations; then, rising criticism and disappointment; and finally contracting use and limited application. These phases need not have been sequential: they often overlapped. The cycle sometimes ended by the disappearance of the drug from mental health care, only to be replaced by new drugs with a profile of promise and hope. These cycles, which we term Seige cycles, are generally typical for the careers of psychotropic drugs. The analytical concept of the Seige cycle facilitates a comparative perspective on the commonalities as well as the differences between the various drug careers under consideration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Metamedica (Medical Humanities), VU-University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Toine
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pieters
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Snelders
mesh_terms: D001463:Barbiturates / Q000266:history*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000266:history*; D005060:Europe; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D009656:North America; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000266:history*
chemical_list: D001463:Barbiturates; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D001569:Benzodiazepines