psychopharmaceuticals
Psychiatric drug treatments
Psychopharmaceuticals are drugs that affect mental processes—mood, cognition, perception, or behavior.
The category includes antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, and stimulants used to treat conditions like depression, schizophrenia, and ADHD.
The term emphasizes the intersection of psychology and pharmacology: The development of psychopharmaceuticals transformed psychiatric treatment in the twentieth century.
Medications treating clinical despair
- antipsychoticsDrugs treating severe mental disorders
- anxiolyticsDrugs reducing pathological worry
- stimulantsAgents that heighten arousal
- sedativesDrugs that calm
SSRIs · SNRIs · MAOIs · tricyclics · benzodiazepines · anticonvulsants · barbiturates · amphetamines
Chemical neural messengers
- dopamineReward-linked neural messenger
- serotoninMood-regulating brain chemical
- norepinephrineAlertness and stress hormone
- GABAInhibitory brain neurotransmitter
glutamate · receptors · synapses · neurons · reuptake · neuroplasticity · half-life · metabolism
Prolonged low state
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- schizophreniaPsychotic disorder with delusions
- bipolarHaving two opposite poles
- ADHDNeurodevelopmental focus impairment
OCD · PTSD · mania · insomnia · hallucinations · delusions · dysthymia · anhedonia
Medical dispensing authorization
- dosageMeasured medicine amount
- titrationMeasuring concentration by addition
- complianceAdhering to requirements
- side-effectsSecondary, unintended outcomes
efficacy · off-label · polypharmacy · withdrawal · tapering · maintenance · remission · relapse
antidepressants
Medications treating clinical despair
- antipsychoticsDrugs treating severe mental disorders
- anxiolyticsDrugs reducing pathological worry
- stimulantsAgents that heighten arousal
sedatives · SSRIs · SNRIs · MAOIs · tricyclics · benzodiazepines · anticonvulsants · barbiturates · amphetamines · lithium
neurotransmitters
Chemical neural messengers
- dopamineReward-linked neural messenger
- serotoninMood-regulating brain chemical
- norepinephrineAlertness and stress hormone
GABA · glutamate · receptors · synapses · neurons · reuptake · neuroplasticity · half-life · metabolism · pharmacokinetics
depression
Prolonged low state
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- schizophreniaPsychotic disorder with delusions
- bipolarHaving two opposite poles
ADHD · OCD · PTSD · mania · insomnia · hallucinations · delusions · dysthymia · anhedonia · hypomania
prescription
Medical dispensing authorization
- dosageMeasured medicine amount
- titrationMeasuring concentration by addition
- complianceAdhering to requirements
side-effects · efficacy · off-label · polypharmacy · withdrawal · tapering · maintenance · remission · relapse · augmentation
psychopharmaceuticalstalk therapy
Psychological treatment via conversation
psychotherapy · cognitive behavioral therapy · psychoanalysis · counseling · behavioral therapy
psychopharmaceuticalsplacebo
Inactive therapeutic substitute
sugar pill · recreational drugs · street drugs · illicit substances
psychopharmacology, psychopharmacological, psyche, psychic, psychical, psychology, psychological, psychologist, psychiatry