PSYC62H3 Chapter 1: Chapter 1 - Introduction to Psychopharmacology
Document Summary
Psychopharmacology the study of how drugs affect mood, perception, thinking or behaviour. Psychoactive drugs drugs that achieve effects by acting in the nervous system. Attempts to relate the actions and effects of drugs to issues in psychology. Psychopharmacologist must know how nervous system functions and how psychoactive drugs alter nervous system functioning. Psychoactive drug use is highly prevalent: psychology must consider what so-called normal behaviour means today. Statistics shows how nearly all of us are consumers of psychoactive substances; we need to know about the substances we ingest: greater knowledge improves patient understanding of prescribed medical treatments and health implications of taking recreational substances. See how psychopharmacologists develop psychoactive treatments for psychological disorders: pharmacotherapeutics; psychoactive treatments for disorders, are not only derived from chemists scientists trained in psychology test psychoactive drugs and determine their potential effectiveness for psychological disorders. Drug administered substance that alters physiological functioning. Administered indicates that a person takes or is given the substance.
