Psychopharmaceuticals: drugs that act on the brain

What are psychotropic drugs, what types are there and how do they act on our nervous system?

The psychotropic drugs are one of the most influential tools in psychology and psychiatry, both in terms of intervention and research.

However, the fact that their commercialization and popularity have spread throughout much of the world does not prevent some confusion about what a psychopharmaceutical really is.

What exactly are psychotropic drugs?

Psychotropic drugs are chemical substances that influence mental processes by acting on the nervous system.

However, it should be kept in mind that there are many substances that directly or indirectly affect the neuron networks in our body, and that is why the concept of psychotropic drug has a lot to do with the type of effects the substance has, its intensity and the legal regulations that determine how and when it should be consumed. that determine how and when it is to be consumed.

Types of psychotropic drugs

Within the wide variety of psychotropic drugs that have been developed over the years, there is also a range of different types of psychotropic drugs. there is also a very Wide range of functions.. If the nervous system is capable of carrying out all kinds of processes, such as decision-making or the regulation of emotional states, the substances that influence these groups of neurons can also produce very varied effects depending on the type of psychotropic drug in question.

Although each type of substance has very specific effects, it is possible to establish a classification of the different types of substances. a classification of the types of psychotropic drugs can be established.. These are the following:

1. anxiolytics and sedatives.

Anxiolytics are a class of psychotropic drugs that reduce the signs of anxiety and the agitation associated with it without producing numbness. Among the most important anxiolytics are the benzodiazepines.

Sedatives, on the other hand, do cause the level of consciousness to decrease. Both types of psychotropic drugs can be used as tranquilizers.

2. Mood stabilizers

This class of psychotropic drugs is used especially in mood and mood-like disorders, the most typical cases being bipolar disorder.

3. Antipsychotics

Antipsychotics, also called neuroleptics, are a class of psychotropic drugs whose effects are usually related to mitigating the effects of psychosis and schizophrenia.

4. Antidepressants

Antidepressants are psychotropic drugs used especially in the treatment of major depressive disorders, and disorders related to the difficulty in controlling certain impulses.

Among the types of antidepressants we find some such as MAOIs, SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants.

How do psychotropic drugs work?

In general, the basic function of psychotropic drugs is to make certain neurons behave differently from the way they were acting. They do this by directly or indirectly influencing the way in which these nerve cells reuptake certain types of substances called neurotransmitters.

Thus, for example, a psychotropic drug can cause a certain class of neurons to stop reuptake such a high amount of dopamine, which generates a chain reaction that causes the symptoms of a disorder to improve.

Psychotropic drugs and their side effects

Psychotropic drugs are, in essence, a type of medication whose target is the Central Nervous System. However, the fact that their "ideal" target However, the fact that their "ideal" target is very specific areas of the brain does not mean that these substances only have an effect there..

Like all drugs, psychotropic drugs are not intelligent organisms, without sets of molecules that "fit" in some parts of the body and not in others. That means that they act on where they are supposed to act, but also on many other parts of the body. In other words, psychotropic drugs have side effects, many of which can be very negative.

The psychotropic drug in the fight against mental illness

Traditionally, psychotropic drugs have been the medical response to cases of mental illness. This means in part that their use has not been intended to apply to healthy people, and it also means that their use has been a way of combating symptoms of disorders that were understood to have a cause in the individual.

However, there is currently a very intense debate about the way in which we should understand mental disorders and, therefore, the way in which they should be treated by health specialists. This debate has a major impact on the use of psychotropic drugs, which in some cases can go beyond the usual treatment of mental disorders.which in some cases may go from being the core of the treatment to becoming a complement to a type of approach to the problem that serves to intervene more in the context in which the person lives and not so much in the person as something isolated.

On this topic, you may be interested in this article: "The differences between syndrome, disorder and disease".