PSYC62H3 Study Guide - Substance Abuse, Addiction, Drug Liberalization
Document Summary
Psychopharmacology is the discipline that attempts to systematically study the effects of drugs on behaviour, cognitive functioning, and emotions. Drugs that alter behaviour, cognitive functioning, or emotions are called psychoactive or psychotropic drugs- they are chemicals that induce psychological effects by altering the normal biochemical reactions that take place in the nervous system. Originally psyche referred to the soul, but not referred to as the mind. Pharmakos originally meant scapegoat- or a person who was sacrificed for another persons maladies. A drugs chemical structure, how much of the drug is taken, how long it has been since the drug was taken, and how frequently it is taken are important factors in drug experience. Drugs should not be viewed as simply bad or good, you need to take into consideration how much of the drug is taken, what it is taken for, and in what context it is taken in.
