Frank Joseph Ayd Jr. (October 14, 1920 – March 21, 2008) was an American psychiatrist known for introducing the first

antipsychotic Antipsychotics, also known as neuroleptics, are a class of Psychiatric medication, psychotropic medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, paranoia or disordered thought), principally in schizophrenia but ...

medications into US clinical practice, being granted the first permit from the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

to use

Thorazine Chlorpromazine (CPZ), marketed under the brand names Thorazine and Largactil among others, is an antipsychotic medication. It is primarily used to treat psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Other uses include the treatment of bipolar dis ...

for

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

. He took part in writing more than 50

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

s and authored over 400 articles. The “Ayd’s Lexicon of Psychiatry, Neurology and the Neurosciences” became a standard reference. According to the New York Times, he was a chief pioneer in the field of psychopharmacology. Born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

on October 14, 1920, in the family of a pediatrician, he graduated from Loyola College in Baltimore and the

University of Maryland School of Medicine The University of Maryland School of Medicine (abbreviated UMSOM), located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S., is the medical school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Me ...

. His work began in pediatrics but soon he was called to active duty by the Navy and assigned to surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Shortly afterwards he moved to the Veterans Hospital in

Perry Point, Maryland Perry Point is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Cecil County, Maryland, Cecil County, Maryland, United States. Perry Point is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River south of Perryville, Maryland, Perryville and north o ...

and became a psychiatrist. Although initially having no interest in psychiatry, he changed his view and practiced it for the rest of his life, introducing many pharmaceutical agents. Frank Ayd studied, in his words, "practically speaking, every neuroleptic that ever got on the market in this country except for Clozaril and Risperdal".

Books

Recognizing the Depressed Patient, with Essentials
F. Ayd; Published by Grune & Stratton, Inc. 1961

References

External links

- New York Times, March 21, 2008; by Douglas Martin.
Interviewed by Leo Hollister, 1994
(PDF file)

- profile at medicalalumni.org
Through the Times With Frank J. Ayd Jr., M.D.
- Psychiatric Times, 2005 American psychiatrists 1920 births 2008 deaths Loyola University Maryland alumni University of Maryland School of Medicine alumni {{US-psychiatrist-stub