Grape alcohol can be used pharmaceutically, for relaxation and for self-destruction. Credit: Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library

In the 1950s a second generation of sedatives were marketed as Quaaludes and Miltown. They were less addictive but could still be dangerous. Quaaludes became a widely used illegal relaxant.

Thalidomide, which caused malformations of babies in the womb, was introduced in the late 1950s. It was intended to be a particularly effective sedative for pregnant mothers suffering morning sickness. The scandal of its release caused a general strengthening of drug regulation around the world.

Woman reaching for a box of sleeping pills, 1954. Credit: NMPFT/Syndication International

Far more widely used have been the benzodiazepines, known as sedative-hypnotics. The first was Librium and the second Valium, introduced in 1963. In Britain 17 million prescriptions for benzodiazepines were given every year. These treated anxiety and were intended for short-term use. However, some people, particularly women, took them for years and found them difficult to give up. In June 2002, a patient was awarded £40,000 damages by a court on account of the suffering caused by his addiction.

Depression is the most common emotional illness and drugs to treat depression have been widely developed. The best known is the family of SSRIs (Selective Serotonine Reuptake Inhibitors) of which the first was Prozac. Critics charge that some members of this family may also be addictive and that ‘depression’ rates have soared since the illness has become treatable.