What are the main categories in psychopharmacology? At their broadest levels, what are each used for?

Psychopharmacology is a proficiency in professional psychology that involves the application of psychopharmacological principles, scientific data and clinical practices to individual psychopathology and problems across a range of populations.

It uniquely blends the scientific study of behavior, its biological basis and the interaction of medication with the latter to produce acute and long term therapeutic changes in normal and abnormal functioning.

So, it can be said that Psychopharmacology is the field of psychology and psychiatry dedicated to the study of drugs’ effects on mood and behavior. Of particular interest in this field is the study of the effectiveness, dosing, and indications for psychoactive drugs.

There are six main groups of psychiatric medications:

A) Antidepressants are medications commonly used to treat depression. Though they can further be used for other health conditions, such as anxiety, pain and insomnia. Sometimes they might be used to treat ADHD in adults. Most antidepressants will hinder the breakdown of serotonin or norepinephrine or both.

Types of antidepressants :

i) selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like, Fluoxetine, Citalopram, Sertraline, Paroxetine, Escitalopram are widely used.

ii) serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). It include venlafaxine and duloxetine.

iii) Bupropion is used to treat seasonal affective disorder and to help people stop smoking.

other than theses three there are traditional antidepressant medications as well (example, tricyclics, tetracyclics, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs))

B) Anti-anxiety medications ( anxiolytic/ antipanic agent) is a medication or other intervention that inhibits anxiety.They are commonly used to reduce the symptoms of anxiety, (like in panic attacks, extreme fear etc)

The Benzodiazepines ( example Clonazepam, Alprazolam, Lorazepam etc) is a common anti-anxiety drug and is widely utilised to treat generalized anxiety disorder.Though in cases like panic disorder or social anxiety disorder, it is used with other antidepressants. Here they are used mostly to manage physical symptoms of anxiety, such as trembling, rapid heartbeat, and sweating that people with phobias.

Other example of anti-anxiety medication is Buspirone , which is sometimes used for the long-term treatment of chronic anxiety.

C) Stimulants ( examples, Methylphenidate, Amphetamine, Dextroamphetamine, Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate, caffeine etc). It covers many drugs including those that increase activity of the central nervous system and the body, drugs that are pleasurable and invigorating, or drugs that have sympathomimetic effect.

They increase mental and/or physical function. It increases alertness, attention, and energy, as well as elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014).

They are used for children, adolescents, or adults diagnosed with ADHD. They are also prescribed to treat other health conditions, like narcolepsy, and occasionally depression (especially if failure is noted by use of other treatment).

D) Antipsychotics are psychiatric drugs which are available on prescription, and are licensed to treat types of mental health problems whose symptoms include psychotic experiences.

It can be First generation (common/ typical/ traditional/ neuroleptics antipsychotics)and include: Chlorpromazine, Haloperidol, Perphenazine, Fluphenazine.

It can be Newer or second generation medications are also called "atypical" antipsychotics. It includes: Risperidone, Olanzapine, Quetiapine, Ziprasidone

Basically in the cases of 'psychosis' which is the conditions that affect the mind, and in which there has been some loss of contact with reality, often including

a) delusions (false, fixed beliefs)

b) hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that are not really there).

It can be a symptom of a physical condition such as drug abuse or a mental disorder such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or very severe depression or psychotic depression.

They are used in combination with other medications to treat delirium, dementia, and mental health conditions, ( as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Severe Depression, Eating Disorders, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder , Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

E) Mood stabilizers are used primarily to treat bipolar disorder, mood swings associated with other mental disorders, and in some cases, to lessen the effect of other medications used to treat depression.

They work by decreasing abnormal activity in the brain and are also sometimes used to treat: Depression (usually along with an antidepressant), Schizoaffective Disorder, Disorders of impulse control etc .

Few anticonvulsant medications (valproic acid, Carbamazepine, Lamotrigine, Oxcarbazepine) are also used as mood stabilizers

F) A depressant, or central depressant, is a drug that lowers neurotransmission levels, which is to depress or reduce arousal or stimulation, in various areas of the brain. It can be said to be the opposite drug class of stimulants.

Depressants are used medicinally to relieve the symptoms of:

Anxiety (Generalised anxiety, Social anxiety and Panic attacks), Insomnia, Obsessive–compulsive disorder, Seizures, Convulsions and Depression.

They exert their effects through a number of different pharmacological mechanisms, the most prominent of which include facilitation of GABA, and inhibition of glutamatergic or monoaminergic activity. Other examples are chemicals that modify the electrical signaling inside the body. The most prominent of these being bromides and channel blockers. They are used as hypnotics, sedatives, and anesthetics.