Psychopharmacology

Abstract

The primary objective of this course is to introduce undergraduate students to the field of psychopharmacology by reviewing biological and practical elements related to psychotropic medications. The course will be divided into three sections, the first of which will be general pharmacology. There will be detailed emphasis on the neurotransmitters and their functions, areas of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. The second section will focus on psychopharmacology, in which specific classes of currently used psychotropic medications and their mechanisms of action will be presented. The third section will consist of psychopharmacotherapy; essentially, the practical application of psychotropic medications to mental disorders. In this section, current practice guidelines and issues related to pharmacologic treatment with various agents will be reviewed.