“Depressors of affect” were defined as substances which regulate the oscillation of “emotional tone” between an “apathetic”, or under responsive and “pathetic“, or over-responsive pole, and by their action replace a “pathetic” by an “apathetic one”. They are one of the two groups of, ”psycholeptics” in Delay’s (1959a,b) classification of “psychiatric drugs”,  presented in Delay and Deniker’s monograph published in 1961.  “Depressors of affect” include the ”minor tranquilizers”, also referred to as “anxiolytics”, and the “neuroleptics”,  also referred to as “major  tranquilizers” and “antipschotics” (Ban 1969).

Ban TA. Psychopharmacology. Baltimore: William & Wilkins; 1969, p. 368.

Delay J. Intervention à propos de la terminologie et la classification des médicaments psychiatriques.  In: Kline NS, editor. Neuropsychopharmacology Frontiers. New York: Little Brown; 1959a, pp. 426-9. 

Delay J. Discussion: Fourth Symposium. In: Bradley PB, Deniker P, Radouco-Thomas C. Neuropsychopharmacology. Proceedings of the First International Congress of Neuro-Pharmacology. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1959b, pp. 167-72.

Delay J, Deniker P. MéthodesChimiothérapiques en Psychiatrie. Paris; Masson et Cie; 1961.

Carlos R. Hojaij

January 30, 2014