Transcript Lecture 1 - NAU jan.ucc.nau.edu web server

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
2
Factors Influencing the Effects of
Drugs
• Factors related to the drug itself
– 1.
– 2.
– 3.
– 4.
the chemical structure
the dosage – how much was taken
how frequently the drug is taken
how long since last taken
3
Factors Influencing the Effects of
Drugs
• Factors not related to the drug
– 1.
– 2.
– 3.
up
mind set of person taking the drug
the setting where the drug was taken
the person’s unique biomedical make
4
Good drugs and Bad Drugs?
• Drugs are chemicals, they are neither
good nor bad. Whether viewed as good or
bad depends upon
– 1.
– 2.
– 3.
how much is taken
why it is taken
the context in which is taken
5
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
6
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
10
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
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drugs
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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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 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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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
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