PSYC55H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Food Addiction, Fluoxetine, Pharmacology
Document Summary
Psychopharmacology: the study of how drugs affect mood, perception thinking, or behavior. Psychoactive drugs: drugs achieve this by acting on the nervous system. Psychopharmacologist: must know how nervous system functions and how drugs alter nervous system functioning. Drugs serve as a behaviorally controlling stimuli just like other stimuli in behavior analytic models. Neuropsychopharmacology: how drugs affect nervous system and how these nervous system changes alter behavior. Drug come in various shapes and forms and usage. Ex: nicotine in tar, vapor from glue contain toluene. Must not restrict our perception of drug to a specific form or usage (treating food like drug provides a useful means of understanding food addiction) Psychoactive drugs: instrumental use: addressing specific purpose, taking anti-depressant drugs such as prozac for reducing depression (therapeutic drugs) 2) recreational use: using drugs entirely to experience its effects. Ex: drinking alcohol to experience its intoxicating effects. (it"s instrumental use would include drinking to relieve stress)
