Prescribing psychotropic drugs
Prescribing psychotropic drugs When to prescribe A thorough assessment of the patient is required before a psychotropic drug can be prescribed. For the more severe mental illnesses, drugs are the…
PSYCHIATRY
Introduction to drug treatments
Introduction to drug treatments The drugs used to treat mental illnesses are known as ‘psychotropics’. Psychotropic drugs exert their effects on neurotransmitter systems within the central nervous system (CNS). This…
Mental health services I
Mental health services I Case history 1 John is a 23-year-old unemployed, single man who lives with his parents. He has chronic schizophrenia. When he is acutely unwell he becomes…
Classification in psychiatry
Classification in psychiatry Case history 3 From the age of 18 years, Emily has always manipulated situations so that other people sort things out for her. If they refuse to…
Other and Newer Antidepressants
Other and Newer Antidepressants Agomelatine Agomelatine is a new antidepressant with MT1 and MT2 melatonergic agonist and 5-HT2C antagonist actions which has been shown to be effective in severe depression…
Other Drugs Used in Psychiatry
Other Drugs Used in Psychiatry Benzodiazepines During the 1960s benzodiazepines were routinely used as hypnotics (e.g. nitrazepam and temazepam), and anxiolytics (e.g. diazepam and chlordiazepoxide). The Committee on Safety of…
Treatment-Resistant Depression
Treatment-Resistant Depression Treatment-resistant depression Although there is no generally accepted definition of treatment-resistant depression, NICE defines treatment-resistant depression as that which fails to respond to two or more antidepressants given…
Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors
Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors The use of SSRIs As implied by their name, the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, commonly abbreviated to SSRIs, selectively inhibit the re-uptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin…
Tricyclic and Related Antidepressant Drugs
Tricyclic and Related Antidepressant Drugs The use of tricyclic antidepressants Ever since Kuhn (1958) discovered the antidepressive actions of the archetypal tricyclic antidepressant imipramine, tricyclic antidepressants and related drugs have…
Monoamine-Oxidase Inhibitors
Monoamine-Oxidase Inhibitors The use of MAOIs The enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO), found mainly in the external mitochondrial membrane, acts on central nervous system neurotransmitters such as noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine….
