PSYA01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 16.3: Monoamine Oxidase, Bipolar Disorder, Lorazepam
Document Summary
Psychopharmacotherapy is the use of drugs to atte(cid:373)pt to (cid:373)a(cid:374)age or reduce clie(cid:374)ts" sy(cid:373)pto(cid:373)s. Psychotropic drugs are medications designed to alter psychological functioning. Blood-brain barrier is a network of tightly packed cells that only allow specific types of substances to move from the bloodstream to the brain in order to protect delicate brain cells against harmful infections and other substances. Antidepressant drugs are medications designed to elevate mood and reduce other symptoms of depression. Tricycle antidepressants appear to work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin and norephinephrine: like maois, there are many side effects associated with them, including: nausea, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, seizures. Mood stabilizers are drugs used to prevent or reduce the severity of mood swings experienced by people with bipolar disorder. Lithium was one of the first mood stabilizers prescribed regularly in psychiatry: fro(cid:373) the (cid:1005)(cid:1013)5(cid:1004)"s to the (cid:1005)(cid:1013)(cid:1012)(cid:1004)"s, it (cid:449)as the standard drug treatment for depression and bipolar disorder.
