Deborah Fields What is psychopharmacology? Psychopharmacology is a field which analyses the impact of different drugs on the mental health of patients. It considers how different compounds alter people’s behavior by changing the way that the person thinks or feels. Some of the types of conditions that these medicines can affect include depression, psychosis and anxiety. What does a psychopharmacologist do? A psychopharmacologist is an expert advisor on which drug might have the best impact on a patient with a particular mental health condition. They understand how the medicine works and what the expected clinical outcomes are. The medic is also likely to have a grasp of neuroscience as the medicines have an impact on the brain. They also …show more content…
This was when psychotropic drugs, medicines that alter the way a patient behaves, were discovered. Over the years, a wide range of antidepressants, antianxiety, antimanic, antipsychotics and stimulant drugs have been developed. • selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – increase serotonin and are often used as an antidepressant • antimanic drugs (mood stabilizers) – reduce nerve impulses to manage manic episodes • antianxiety drugs (tranquilizers) – have a calming effect and slow down the central nervous system • serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors – these increase the serotonin and noradrenalin How drugs affect mental