Chapter 37. Types of Therapeutic Drugs

Learning Objectives

norepinephrine
neurotransmitter involved in arousal and mood
perception
organizing and interpreting information from the senses to understand its meaning
psychoactive drugs
chemicals that influence brain activity, leading to changes in emotions or thinking
schizophrenia
a psychological disorder characterized by disturbed, irrational thinking and inappropriate emotional behavior
serotonin
neurotransmitter involved in mood and sleep
stimulants
psychoactive drugs that speed up neural activity and body functions
therapeutic drugs
drugs that are used in the treatment of psychological disorders
antianxiety drugs
drugs that calm a person and reduce stress and tension
antidepressant drugs
drugs that boost mood by increasing the availability of neurotransmitters serotonin or norepinephrine
antipsychotic drugs
drugs that reduce schizophrenic symptoms by blocking the effect of the neurotransmitter dopamine
bipolar disorder
a psychological disorder characterized by dramatic mood swings from mania to deep depression
dopamine
neurotransmitter involved in movement and motivation
mood-stabilizing drugs
drugs that reduce the dramatic mood swings of bipolar disorder
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers released by the axon terminal into the synaptic gap between neurons
Types of Therapeutic Drugs
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Learning Objectives:

Identify the major categories of therapeutic drugs.

Describe the effects and uses of each major category of therapeutic drugs.

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1. Therapeutic drugs are categorized according to the symptoms they treat. These drugs, like all psychoactive drugs, influence the activity of the brain.

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2. Antianxiety drugs slow down the activity of the brain, which makes a person feel calmer and less tense.

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3. Antidepressant drugs are not quite the opposite of antianxiety drugs, because they don't act as stimulants. Instead, they increase the availability of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, thus boosting the person's mood.

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4. Most antipsychotic drugs block the action of the neurotransmitter dopamine in order to reduce the major symptoms of schizophrenia, such as distortions in perception and thinking.

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5. Finally, mood-stabilizing drugs are used to reduce the dramatic mood swings of bipolar disorder.

Practice: Therapeutic Drug Effects

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Practice: Therapeutic Drug Effects

Roll over each photo to see what type of drug would be used to treat this symptom.

There are four images on the screen. The first image is a man with his hands covering his face and his mouth open as if he is yelling.
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The second image is a man with his hands over his face with blood on them. He also has a frog sitting on his head and clouds around his head.
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The third image is a woman with her head resting in her left hand. She is frowning and looks sad.
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The last image is a woman with her head in her hands.
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Anxiety: Antianxiety drugs depress neural activity, calming the person and relieving anxiety.

Hallucinations: Antipsychotic drugs block the neurotransmitter dopamine, reducing schizophrenic symptoms.

Depression: Antidepressant drugs increase the availability of the neurotransmitters serotonin or norepinephrine, boosting mood.

Mood swings: Mood-stabilizing drugs reduce the emotional highs and lows of bipolar disorder, although researchers do not yet understand the brain mechanisms involved.

Quiz 1

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Quiz 1

Match the terms to their descriptions by dragging each colored circle to the appropriate gray circle. When all the circles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

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Perhaps you should go back to review types of drugs.
mood-stabilizing drugs
antidepressant drugs
antianxiety drugs
antipsychotic drugs
increase the availability of the neurotransmitters serotonin or norepinephrine
depress neural activity, calming the person
block the neurotransmitter dopamine
reduce the emotional highs and lows of bipolar disorder

Quiz 2

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Quiz 2

Drag the appropriate term for a type of drug to the gray area in front of each scenario. When all the drug types have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Select the NEXT button and move to the Conclusion.
Perhaps you should go back to review types of drugs.
Mood-stabilizing Drugs
Antianxiety Drugs
Antidepressant Drugs
Antipsychotic Drugs

A domestic-abuse survivor has panic-attack symptoms several times a week

A student is failing all his classes because he is sinking into a negative and hopeless mood

A sales manager recently was fired for his unpredictable behavior, which varied month by month between energetic optimism and mild depression

A young mother stopped feeding her children because she saw mermaids bringing them food every day

Conclusion

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Congratulations!
You have completed
Types of Therapeutic Drugs.