Abstract
Psychotropic drugs — especially antidepressants and neuroleptics — have become an important element in the treatment of cancer pain. Soon after the introduction of neuroleptics in 1951/52 and antidepressants in 1957 in psychiatry, the first publications appeared reporting their beneficial analgesic effect. Later publications emphasized that psychotropic drugs may potentiate the effects of analgesics and help to reduce their use.