Too Soon to Change Psychopharmacology Nomenclature?

The business of discovery is rarely linear, and new knowledge sometimes contradicts existing explanations for the phenomenon under study. The Neuroscience-based Nomenclature (NbN) harnesses the best science available today to promote a novel way of referring to the medications used to treat psychiatric conditions. NbN moves away from symptom or disease-based descriptions to neuropharmacological ones. Certainly, as new data reveal more precise understanding of the mechanisms by which pharmacological interventions work, NbN will require updating. Nonetheless, we do have enough data to get started. ■