Treating psychosis . . . and other stories

History of antipsychoticsThe calming properties of chlorpromazine, the first major tranquilliser, were noticed almost by accident in the early 1950s by a French surgeon who was experimenting with it as a preparation for anaesthesia. Despite the lack of clinical trials, the drug was rapidly taken up by psychiatrists for the treatment of schizophrenia and mania, which allowed them to abandon insulin induced comas, shock treatments, and lobotomies. It was only later that the deficiencies and adverse effects of phenothiazines became apparent. In an essay in Unherd, a sociologist takes a critical but sympathetic look at the history of treatment of psychosis (https://unherd.com/2024/03/the-truth-about-antipsychotics).Postoperative bleedingMajor postoperative bleeding, defined as bleeding leading to transfusion, re-intervention, a haemoglobin level less than 7 g/dL, or death, is a common and serious complication of surgery. Data from 40 000 participants in the VISION study, a prospective investigation of patients aged 45 or older who had undergone…
Read Original Article: Treating psychosis . . . and other stories »