Psychopharmacology for beginners

According to a study by the Robert Koch Institute, approximately one third of the adult population in developed countries suffers from mental disorders. Their treatment depends on the type of mental illness, its duration and severity. On the one hand, psychotherapy helps to actively overcome difficulties and learn new ways of behaving. On the other hand, doctors often use psychotropic medications to reduce symptoms and alleviate psychological suffering. Often, medication is the very basis that allows a person to restore relationships with other people and actively solve problems.

4. Valium - is one of the first psychotropic drugs for anxiety and insomnia. Benzodiazepines gained popularity in the 1960s as a treatment for anxiety. This was because their side effects were not as severe as those of barbiturates, the previous generation of tranquillisers. However, it should be borne in mind that they are also highly addictive. Depending on the specific drug and dosage, benzodiazepines have sedative, anxiolytic (anxiety-relieving) and hypnotic properties.

5. „Prozac“ - Over the past 50 years, perhaps no psychiatric drug has become better known than Prozac (active ingredient: fluoxetine). It was developed in 1970 by the pharmaceutical concern Eli Lilly and Company. Since Prozac's introduction, scientists have developed a number of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs have different chemical structures and side-effect profiles, but they are similar in terms of their basic mechanism of action and efficacy. The main reason for the popularity of these drugs is that they have a wide range of uses and relatively few side effects. The discovery of SSRIs was a revolutionary achievement for psychiatry. Currently, SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed drugs for clinical depression, panic, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorders.