c. 1970 | United States

Mother’s Little Helper

For all your anxieties, known and unknown.

For the anxiety that comes from not fitting in.

The newcomer in town who can’t make friends. The organization man who can’t adjust to altered status within his company. The woman who can’t get along with her new daughter-in-law. The executive who can’t accept retirement.

These common adjustment problems of our society are frequently intolerable for the disordered personality, who often responds with excessive anxiety.

Serentil is suggested for this type of patient. Not simply because its tranquilizing action can ease anxiety and tension, but because it benefits personality disorders in general. And because it has not been found habituating.

About This Text

An advertisement for Serentil. In response to this ad, which ran in more than a dozen medical journals, the FDA began to regulate the marketing of tran­quilizers and in 1971 forced the pharmaceutical company Sandoz to clarify that the drug was to be used only for “certain disease states.” One FDA official later reported that Sandoz sales reps had difficulty explaining to doctors why a single product was supposed to be used for “psychosis on the one hand and mild anxiety on the other.”