Psychopharmacology

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Psychopharmacology

• The systematic study of the effects of drugs on
  behavior, cognitive processing, and emotions.
• These drugs are called psychoactive or
  psychotropic drugs drugs that change behavior,
  emotions, and cognitive processes by changing the
  normal activity of the nervous system

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Derivation of the Term Psychopharmacology

• Psyche mind
• Pharmaka drugs and medicine (pharmakus)
• Logos - study

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Factors Influencing the Effects of Drugs

• Factors related to the drug itself
• 1. the chemical structure
• 2. the dosage how much was taken
• 3. how frequently the drug is taken
• 4. how long since last taken

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Factors Influencing the Effects of Drugs

• Factors not related to the drug
• 1. mind set of person taking the drug
• 2. the setting where the drug was taken
• 3. the persons unique biomedical make up

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Good drugs and Bad Drugs?

• Drugs are chemicals, they are neither good nor
  bad. Whether viewed as good or bad depends upon
• 1. how much is taken
• 2. why it is taken
• 3. the context in which is taken

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History of Drug Use

• Use of naturally occurring psychoactive drugs has
  existed as long as human history
• The use of mushrooms, opium, cannabis, morning
  glory seeds, alcohol, coca leaves, and even toads
  have been used for thousands of years

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Other Species Use of Drugs

• Apes, horses, and horses prefer water with
  alcohol over plain water
• Some birds prefer fermented berries over fresh
• Bees prefer the intoxicating nectar of certain
  flowers
• Llamas chew coca leaves
• Reindeer have been known to seek hallucinogenic
  mushrooms
• Some ants maintain groups of beetles that secrete
  intoxicating substances

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Drugs in the 19th Century

• Major change in the use of drugs isolation or
  distillation of the active chemical that caused
  behavioral changes
• 1805 morphine isolated from opium used to
  treat periods of insanity
• 1857- cocaine isolated from coca leaves used to
  treat depression

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Recreational and Social Use of Drugs

• Most likely existed before recorded history
• 19th century saw the use of therapeutic drugs
  becoming used for recreation
• Jacque-Joseph Moreau a French psychiatrist, wrote
  about the medicinal and social use of hashish in
  1845
• Drugs were widely used and their use was
  acceptable

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Recreational and Social Use of Drugs

• Recreational use of drugs began to be seen as bad
  and immoral
• Addictive properties became known
• More powerful drugs isolated
• Larger quantities became available
• Latter part of the 19th century laws prohibiting
  drug use and penalties for use began to be
  written not very successful

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1950s

• Psychopharmacology said to have begun in the
  1950s with the widespread use of chlorpromazine
  or Thorazine
• Thorazine used as a pre-anesthesia in France to
  calm people. Tested on people with schizophrenia
• Promazine an antihistamine used in surgery also
  found to reduce symptoms of schizophrenia
• Dramatic increase in the testing of other drugs
  to treat mental illness and development of new
  drugs

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Illegal Drugs

• Making certain drugs illegal or controlled
  substances, only to be used by MDs, has done
  little to curtail the use of these drugs.
• May have prevented a major increase in the use of
  drugs.
• Many people see no reason to stop
• Drug abuse is wrong, but I am not abusing drugs

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What is Drug Abuse?

• The self administration of any drug in a manner
  that deviates from approved medical or societal
  pattern within a culture.
• Problem What is considered a deviation?
• Problem people may not recognize or admit when
  they meet the criteria of drug abuse

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Effects of the War on Drugs

• Use of narcotics has remained fairly constant
  since 1975 use of pharmacological narcotics has
  dramatically increased
• Use of cocaine has fallen, but number of frequent
  users hasnt
• For young adults major decline in use of
  cigarettes, hallucinogens, and cannabis. Alcohol
  use constant binge drinking has increased

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Side Effects of the War on Drugs

• Development of new more powerful drugs that can
  be shipped in smaller amounts
• Increase in more hazardous ways of taking drugs
• Issue of decreasing drug abuse a very complex
  problem that requires more than just attempting
  to stop the flow of drugs

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Purpose of This Course

• Education about the chemicals we call drugs
• What are drugs?
• What are their intended effects and side effects?
• How do they work?
• When can they be beneficial? Harmful?
• Remember, just being legal does not make a drug a
  good drug
• Nicotine and alcohol