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Psychopharmacology and the Use of Psychotropic DrugsAs a student diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder(ADD) myself, the field of biological psychology, specifically psychopharmacology, is one in which I express great interest. Biological psychology attempts to answer questions we have about our psychological processes by investigating the biological bases of behavior. With recent advances in modern science and medicine, we have learned a great deal more about our neuroanatomy, physiology, and the chemical pathways of our brain, and this has led to an explosion in the use of psychotropic drugs to treat many mental disorders. It seems recently that for many mental conditions, especially depression and attention deficit disorder, more emphasis has been put on drug therapy as the solution and less has been put on behavioral, cognitive, and psychodynamic therapies. The "pill-popping" culture of our society and of the growing pharmaceutical industry has made these antidepressants and amphetamines easier and easier to obtain, !and there are many questions being raised over the issue of their abuse and overprescription.
There is a wide spectrum of symptoms associated with ADHD, including learning disabilities, low attention span, depressive and bipolar disorders, sleep disturbances, and anxiety disorders. A recent study on the trends of psychotropic medications and stimulants to preschoolers done at the University of Maryland's School of Pharm!acy showed that in all three test cases, the use of psychotropic stimulants prescribed for preschoolers ages 2-4 increased dramatically from 1991 to 1995, and the overall production and use of Ritalin in the U. Do kids still in preschool really need to be taking amphetamines to excel in their classes? Though it may apply in a few cases, I don't believe so. "Uppers" will give you short-term effects and leave you with crash or comedown when they wear off, leaving you depressed, tired, and sluggish. With scientific and medical advances moving at such a high rate, there seems to be growing gap between research and actual practice-the space between what we know and what we do. I have noticed this, as it now takes two Dexedrine for me to get the effect that I used to get from just one, or even half of one. According to the DSM-IV, or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, the main symptoms of depression are depressed mood, anhedonia(inability to gain enjoyment), lack of energy, sleep disorders, appetite and concentration problems, and suicidal behavior. They are "gatekeepers" that control the flow of neurotransmitters in the brain. More and more people who may be slightly depressed but do not suffer from true severe depression look to these drugs to solve their problems, especially with the advent of SSRI's, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which have less side effects than the MAOI's or tricyclic antidepressants, and produce better results. In order to meet the criteria to be diagnosed, evaluations take place that include medical, academic, and family history, performance on tests, and observations of people close to you (Hartman, 1993). The American fascination with the idea of a simple "pill-popping-cure-all," along with the media's coverage of the growing ADHD prescription drug industry, has increased usage of these stimulants to lucrative levels; in the U. " Biological Psychology 2000; 51: 247-267.
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