Why Is Psychopharmacology Effective?

Psychopharmacology could be a mouthful for anyone unfamiliar with the term. But it is a blend between psychiatry and pharmacology. In other words, it is the study of how drugs or medications affect behavior.

If a drug alters your perception, the way you think or feel, then the drug exerts specific effects on your nervous system and brain. You will hear these drugs referred to as psychotropic or psychoactive by our psychiatrist in Richardson, Dr. Syed Quadri.

What’s fascinating is that almost everyone has interacted with a psychoactive drug at some point – caffeine counts! Understanding a bit more about psychopharmacology would help us comprehend a range of things that interest our Richardson psychiatrist near you.

Psychopharmacology, In a Nutshell

Psychopharmacology is a relatively new science introduced back in the 1950s. However, people long before the 1950s have been taking various substances to alter how they feel.

Psychopharmacology bridges our understanding of behavior (brain) and pharmacology. Through psychopharmacology, we can understand why some psychoactive drugs are addictive. Psychopharmacology is a broad topic that encompasses many issues.

However, narrowing psychopharmacology, we can look at it as the use of medication to treat mental health issues. This is where our Richardson psychiatrist near you comes in.

Medications are used to improve most mental health conditions. We encounter patients treated using medications alone, while others need a combination of medication and therapy. In fact, the latter group might even respond much better since research has shown that the best results are obtained when we combine medication with psychotherapy.

That’s why we offer psychopharmacological services in Richardson, TX, to help our patients get the best treatment.

How Do You Know If You Need Medication for a Mental Health Issue?

Medication is not always necessary. You need to visit our psychiatrist at Texas Psychiatry Associates if you suspect that you might have a mental condition. Our psychiatrist can recommend treatment based on the severity of your symptoms.

Prescription medication comes in handy when you have moderate to severe symptoms that are not getting better with therapy. Our psychiatrist will tell you about the prescription medication and its role in your situation during your visit. Remember that psychiatric medication can only be prescribed by a licensed professional.

How Long Will You Take Psychiatric Medication?

Sometimes, you will need the psychoactive drugs for a short while to relieve specific symptoms. In other scenarios, the medication can produce the desired effect over a longer period. You could take the medication for a few weeks or several years; it all depends on the most effective way to produce the desired results.

Types of Psychoactive Medications

The drugs used can be based on how they are used, such as antipsychotics or their chemical makeup. An example of the drugs classified according to their chemical makeup is opioids.

In any case, here they are:

• Antidepressants – These are the most commonly prescribed medications in the psychiatric field. They are used to alleviate the symptoms that are associated with depression.
• Anxiolytics – These are also commonly prescribed medications that are used to relieve the various forms of anxiety
• Stimulants – These drugs boost alertness and energy, and they are prescribed to heighten mental focus and attention in patients with ADHD
• Antipsychotics – They are used to treat psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Another category of drugs is known as “smart drugs,” which students often use to boost their academic performance. However, these memory enhancers are objects of much research. Also, the drugs that are used to treat disorders such as excessive daytime sleepiness (narcolepsy) are of particular interest to the armed forces for maintaining focus among troops on missions.

Is It Better to Use Medication Than Psychotherapy?

In some cases, such as bipolar or schizophrenia, medication seems to be the best way to deal with the symptoms. Also, the treatment should be continued indefinitely to suppress the symptoms.

For other conditions such as depression and anxiety, medication is given for varying durations to alleviate acute symptoms.

However, psychopharmacology proves to be the best solution, and research backs this up. The use of medication and psychotherapy effectively deals with most mental conditions.

Medications relieve symptoms of the mental condition, whereas psychotherapy is geared at removing the causes, especially the thought patterns and habitual behavior that lead to distress.

So, if you need psychopharmacological services in Richardson, TX, contact us at Texas Psychiatry Associates.