Mental Health Medication Information

Psychotropic drugs, also called psychoactive drugs, are used in the treatment of mental health disorders. Numerous types of drugs fall under the category of psychotropic drugs depending on what they are prescribed to treat and according to their effect on brain chemicals. Medications falling under the category of psychotropic drugs are: antidepressants, stimulants, anti-psychotics, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics, and depressants. Generally, one category of drug may be used for a variety of disorders under the supervision of a psychiatrist. Mental illness criteria usually overlaps, with many of the same medicines being used on similar disorders.

Antidepressants

• Antidepressants are used to treat a variety of conditions including: clinical depression, Borderline Personality Disorder, anxiety, eating disorders, and dysthymia, which is a mild form of depression. Antidepressants usually take two to six weeks to actively change conditions in the brain. Drugs commonly used as antidepressants are: tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Psychostimulants

• Certain stimulants, also called psychostimulants, used in in psychiatric care generally improve and increase functions of the brain and the body. Psychostimulants are commonly used to treat: Attention Deficit Disorder, narcolepsy, and appetite suppression. General psychostimulants used in the treatment of mental illness are norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs). The most known and prescribed NDRI is bupropion under the brand name Wellbutrin.

Anti-psychotics

• Anti-psychotics are used to treat and suppress the symptoms of psychosis and are often associated with schizophrenia. However, they also treat mania in bipolar disorder. Anti-psychotics are divided into two groups: typical anti-psychotics and atypical anti-psychotics. Typical anti-psychotics were discovered in the 1950s and are the earliest prototype of anti-psychotics. They include butyrophenones, phenothiazines, and thioxanthenes. The second wave of production began with atypical anti-psychotics in the 1950s and continued in developments until the 1970s. Some common atypical anti-psychotics are Clozapine, Olanzapine, Risperidone, Quetiapine, Ziprasidone, Amisulpride, Asenapine, and Paliperidone. Currently there is also a "third generation" of anti-psychotics on the rise, the most popular example of this generation being Abilify. Bifeprunox is a third-generation wave of anti-psychotic still under clinical testing.

Mood Stabilizers

• Mood stabilizers are used to prevent mood switches caused by psychiatric disorders and to keep moods balanced and consistent. They are used for bipolar and schizoaffective disorder as well as Borderline Personality Disorder. Most mood stabilizers are anti-mania, meaning that they treat the manic or "high" side of these disorders but not the depression. For this reason they are often prescribed alongside antidepressants. Many mood stabilizers may also be classified as anti-convulsants, but this does not apply strictly to every mood stabilizer. The most common mood stabilizers are lithium, valproic acid, and carbamazepine.

Anxiolytics

• Anxiolytics are used to treat anxiety disorders. Anxiolytics are sedatives and tranquilizers that help reduce the somatic effects of panic and fear exhibited in Anxiety Disorders. They are also taken as preventative measures against oncoming attacks of fear. Common anxiolytics are benzodiazepines, serotonin 1A agonists, barbiturates, Valium, and Hydroxyzine.

Depressants

• Depressants overlap with anxiolytics and are also used as sedatives, hypnotics, and anesthetics. They control feelings of panic, fear and anxiety in patients by depressing the central nervous system. The two central nervous system depressants used in treatment of anxiety in psychiatric care are barbiturates and benzodiazepines such as Xanax.

Warnings

• Psychotropic drugs used in psychiatric care have many benefits for their patients, but they also can have side effects that would need to be discussed with a psychiatrist. If you or someone you love is suffering from a mental illness, please seek mental health care immediately.