Objective: To review the historical development of the psychopharmacological treatment of schizophrenia.
Method: A chronological literature review of the clinical practices and theoretical models that have controlled drug treatment of schizophrenia at different times.
Results: Effective treatment of schizophrenia was achieved only after the introduction of antipsychotic drugs, in the 1950s, and is still progressing.
Conclusion: Close collaboration between basic neuroscience and careful and informed clinical practice are likely to lead to continued progress.