Psychopharmacology

What is Psychopharmacology?

Psychopharmacology is the scientific study of the effects that drugs have on mood, sensation, thinking, and behavior. It is distinguished from neuro-psychopharmacology, which emphasizes the correlation between drug-induced changes in the functioning of cells in the nervous system and changes in consciousness and behavior for the treatment of mental disorders and to promote overall patient health and well-being.

The required expertise for clinical psychopharmacology includes the main principles of pharmacology: pharmacokinetics (what the body does to the medication) and pharmacodynamics (what the medication does to the body). The purpose of these medications is to treat mental disorders and requires an understanding of neuroscience, pharmacology, psychopharmacology, clinical science, pathophysiology, biochemistry, and differential diagnosis of mental disorders.