Psychoactive drugs are generally grouped into five major categories:
stimulants, depressants, opiates, hallucinogens, and antipsychotics.
Stimulants in general increase behavioral level, possibly even to extreme levels.
Cocaine it a stimulant.
Depressants, in general, do the opposite to stimulants. They decrease behavioral activity.
Alcohol is a common depressant.
Opiates, also called narcotics, are drugs that in general have both elevate mood and provide pain relief.
Many of the most powerful pain relievers are narcotics. Heroin and morphine are narcotics.
Hallucinogens are so categorized because they alter perception and can lead to hallucinations.
LSD and marijuana are hallucinogens.
Antipsychotics are drugs that are used to treat many symptoms associated with schizophrenia, such as hallucinations and thought disorders.
Thorazine was the first antipsychotic marketed.
Antidepressants are drugs that are used to treat symptoms associated with depression
such as the low mood and the lethargy.