“Stimulants of affect” are one of the two groups of ”psychanaleptics” in Delay’s (1959a,b) classification of “psychiatric drugs”. They were defined in Delay and Deniker’s monograph published in 1961 as substances which regulate the oscillation of “mental tone” between “apathetic”, or under-responsive, and “pathetic” or over-responsive, with the potential by their action to replace an “apathetic tone” by a “pathetic” one.  Included among the “stimulants of affect” are all antidepressants (Ban 1969).

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

Delay J. Intervention à propos de la terminologie et la classification des medicaments 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. Méthodes Chimiothérapiques en Psychiatrie. Paris; Masson et Cie; 1961, p.15.

Carlos R. Hojaij
January 9, 2014