Psychopharmacology is the systematic study of how drugs affect behavior, cognition, and emotions. It examines psychoactive drugs, which are chemicals that change nervous system activity and alter the mind. The document discusses factors that influence a drug's effects, the history of drug use by humans and other species, and the development of psychopharmacology as a field in the 1950s. It also addresses issues surrounding recreational drug use, drug abuse, and efforts to curb illegal drug trade through prohibitions. The purpose of studying psychopharmacology is to better understand drugs, their intended and unintended effects, and how/when they may be beneficial or harmful.

1. PSYCHO
PHARMACOLOGY
Dr. James M. Alo, RN, MAN, MAP PHD
,
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2. “And while we are on the subject of medication you always
need to look at risk versus benefit. “
Temple Grandin
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3. 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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4. Derivation of the Term
Psychopharmacology
¨ Psyche – mind
¨ Pharmaka – drugs and medicine (pharmakus)
¨ Logos - study
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5. 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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6. 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 person’s unique biomedical make up
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7. 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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8. 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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9. 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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10. 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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11. 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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12. Recreational and Social Use of Drugs
¨ Recreational use of drugs began to be seen as bad
and immoral
¤ Addictiveproperties 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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13. 1950’s
¨ Psychopharmacology said to have begun in the
1950’s 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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14. Illegal Drugs
¨ Making certain drugs illegal or controlled
substances, only to be used by MD’s, 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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15. 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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16. 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 hasn’t
¨ For young adults major decline in use of cigarettes,
hallucinogens, and cannabis. Alcohol use constant –
binge drinking has increased
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17. 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
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18. 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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44. “You shouldn't be told you're completely irresponsible and be left
alone with too much medication. It's too easy to forget. You take
a couple of sleeping pills and you wake up in twenty minutes and
forget you've taken them. So you take a couple more, and the
next thing you know you've taken too many.”
Judy Garland
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47. Thank You
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