English: To understand the development of antipsychotic medications over time, I have compiled a dataset showing when each antipsychotic medication was in general use in the United States and visualized it in the timeline below.

The timeline shows two broad groups of antipsychotic drugs: “conventional” and “atypical”, which are distinguished by their side effects. Many conventional drugs cause movement-related side effects, such as spasms and tremors, while most atypical antipsychotic drugs don’t cause these side effects.

As you can see on the timeline, chlorpromazine was the first antipsychotic drug to be introduced in 1954. Many more “conventional” antipsychotic drugs followed until a slowdown in the 1960s and 70s.

Clozapine, developed in 1958 but introduced in 1990, inspired further innovation. Its unique mechanism, with lower action on dopamine receptors and fewer motor side effects, showed there were new ways to treat psychosis.

The development of antipsychotic drugs ran alongside the development of randomized controlled trials, as well as medicinal chemistry, drug regulation, and theories of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Our ability to treat and understand these conditions has grown through trial and error, scientific research, and regulation.

Newer antipsychotic drugs tend to have similar levels of efficacy as older drugs but are safer.8 As drug regulation has expanded and new, safer options have become available, some older antipsychotics are no longer in use.