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- Drug therapy, the control of psychological disorders through drugs, works by altering the operation of neurotransmitters and neurons in the brain.
- Some drugs operate by inhibiting neurotransmitters or receptor neurons, thus reducing activity at particular synapses.
- Other drugs increase the activity of certain neurotransmitters or neurons, allowing particular neurons to fire more frequently.
- Drugs have been developed to treat different categories of disorders.
- Antipsychotic drugs reduce severe symptoms of disturbance, such as loss of touch with reality and agitation.
Most operate by blocking the dopamine receptors at the brain's synapses.
- Antidepressant drugs are a class of medications used in cases of severe depression to improve the moods of patients.
They were discovered quite by accident.
Most antidepressant drugs change the concentration of particular neurotransmitters.
- The drug lithium, a form of mineral salts, has been used very successfully in cases of bipolar disorders.
- Antianxiety drugs reduce the level of anxiety a person experiences and increase feelings of well-being.
Antianxiety drugs are among the medications most frequently prescribed by physicians.
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