How Psychotropic Medications work in the Brain
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Psychotropic medications are drugs that can help people with mental health problems including mood and behavior disorders. Psychotropic drugs can be split into four categories: hallucinogens, anti-psychotics, depressants, and stimulants. It is important to know about psychotropic medications because they are important in treating mental illness and disorders. Many people suffer from mental disorders and it's important to understand how science has developed ways of treating these people. How these drugs work is also important because people who use them will understand how the drugs are affecting their brains and treating them.
Antipsychotics can help people who suffer from hallucinations and delusions. Antipsychotics are thought to work by blocking dopamine receptors. They are important in treating people with bipolar disorder but more commonly people with schizophrenia. Antipsychotics are thought to be able to help people with disorders like schizophrenia because people who have a break with reality are though to have unbalance with neurotransmitters. Examples of antipsychotics: Zyprexa, Risperdal, and Seroquel.
Hallucinogens affect the brain because they affect the serotonin receptors of the brain. Hallucinogens can change the way that the serotonin interacts with the nerve cells which results in the brain perceiving reality differently and processing sensations wrong. Hallucinogens are dangerous as they change the way your brain views and understands reality. Hallucinogens can greatly affect a person's mood and behavior because of the loss of reality that they cause a person to undergo. According to ABCnews, it is thought that Hallucinogens can help treat the mentally ill because people who suffer from depression and OCD do so because of imbalance in serotonin levels. Examples of hallucinogens: LSD, Mescaline, PCP.
Depressants are another type of psychotropic drug. Depressants can also be called anti depressants which are used to treat people with anxiety and depression. They help increase the levels of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine in the brain. Because these neurotransmitters can be removed by re-uptake, the anti depressants work to block the process of re-uptake. By blocking re-uptake, higher levels of the neurotransmitters needed to prevent disorders like depression and anxiety are kept in the brain. Examples of depressants: Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa.
Stimulants have been found to increase dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. Stimulants cause a person to have increased awareness and alertness when neurotransmitters are increased. They can also cause a person to feel euphoric. Stimulants are also helpful in helping people with ADHD. Examples of stimulants: Retalin and Dexedrine.
http://tmap.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/antipsychotic-drugs-boost-stroke-risk/
http://www.drugdetox.org/druginfo/Antipsychotics.php
http://www.recoveryzone.org/docs/articles/What-are-stimulants.html
http://www.goodtherapy.org/drugs/antidepressants.html
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1880
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugshallucinogens
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117548&page=1#.UXcs-rVJOAg
http://www.goodtherapy.org/drugs/anti-psychotics.html
http://www.goodtherapy.org/psychotropic-medication.html
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-psychotropic-drugs.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/12/02/what-you-need-to-know-about-psychotropic-drugs/
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-drugs/stimulants/how-do-stimulants-affect-brain-body
http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/drug-facts/hallucinogens#effects
Antipsychotics can help people who suffer from hallucinations and delusions. Antipsychotics are thought to work by blocking dopamine receptors. They are important in treating people with bipolar disorder but more commonly people with schizophrenia. Antipsychotics are thought to be able to help people with disorders like schizophrenia because people who have a break with reality are though to have unbalance with neurotransmitters. Examples of antipsychotics: Zyprexa, Risperdal, and Seroquel.
Hallucinogens affect the brain because they affect the serotonin receptors of the brain. Hallucinogens can change the way that the serotonin interacts with the nerve cells which results in the brain perceiving reality differently and processing sensations wrong. Hallucinogens are dangerous as they change the way your brain views and understands reality. Hallucinogens can greatly affect a person's mood and behavior because of the loss of reality that they cause a person to undergo. According to ABCnews, it is thought that Hallucinogens can help treat the mentally ill because people who suffer from depression and OCD do so because of imbalance in serotonin levels. Examples of hallucinogens: LSD, Mescaline, PCP.
Depressants are another type of psychotropic drug. Depressants can also be called anti depressants which are used to treat people with anxiety and depression. They help increase the levels of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine in the brain. Because these neurotransmitters can be removed by re-uptake, the anti depressants work to block the process of re-uptake. By blocking re-uptake, higher levels of the neurotransmitters needed to prevent disorders like depression and anxiety are kept in the brain. Examples of depressants: Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa.
Stimulants have been found to increase dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. Stimulants cause a person to have increased awareness and alertness when neurotransmitters are increased. They can also cause a person to feel euphoric. Stimulants are also helpful in helping people with ADHD. Examples of stimulants: Retalin and Dexedrine.
http://tmap.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/antipsychotic-drugs-boost-stroke-risk/
http://www.drugdetox.org/druginfo/Antipsychotics.php
http://www.recoveryzone.org/docs/articles/What-are-stimulants.html
http://www.goodtherapy.org/drugs/antidepressants.html
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1880
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugshallucinogens
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117548&page=1#.UXcs-rVJOAg
http://www.goodtherapy.org/drugs/anti-psychotics.html
http://www.goodtherapy.org/psychotropic-medication.html
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-psychotropic-drugs.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/12/02/what-you-need-to-know-about-psychotropic-drugs/
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-drugs/stimulants/how-do-stimulants-affect-brain-body
http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/drug-facts/hallucinogens#effects