- Dedication
- Preface
- 1 Introduction to Neuropsychopharmacology
- 2 Cellular and Molecular Foundations of Neuropsychopharmacology
- 3 Principles and Methods of Behavioral Pharmacology
- 4 Receptors
- 5 Amino Acid Neurotransmitters
- 6 Acetylcholine
- 7 Catecholamines
- 8 Serotonin
- 9 Histamine
- 10 Neuropeptides
- 11 Purinergic Pharmacology
- 12 Other Interneuronal Signals
- 13 Treatments for Neurological or Psychiatric Disorders: Principles of Central Nervous System Drug Development
- 14 Antidepressants and Anxiolytics
- 15 Antipsychotics
- 16 Cognitive Disorders
- 17 Movement Disorders
- 18 Pain
- 19 Epilepsy
- 20 Recreational Psychoactive Drugs
- 21 Psychostimulants
- 22 Heroin and Other Opiates
- 23 Psychedelics
- 24 Cannabis
- 25 Alcohol
- 26 Nicotine
- Index
(p. 306) Antidepressants and Anxiolytics
- Chapter:
- (p. 306) Antidepressants and Anxiolytics
- Author(s):
Leslie L. Iversen
, Susan D. Iversen
, Floyd E. Bloom
, and Robert H. Roth
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780195380538.003.0378
Depression and anxiety are among the most common psychiatric disorders. Worldwide sales of antidepressant drugs of more than $20 billion make this one of the most important classes of central nervous system medicines. Although some may think of depression as a form of moral deficiency from which indi-viduals could get better if they just “pulled themselves up by the bootstraps,” the reality is that it is an illness, not a choice, and it represents a major cause of dis-ability, preventing sufferers from work and pleasure. It is also a syndrome of different symptoms, only one of which is depressed mood. The diagnostic criteria suggested by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV; Table 14–1), make this clear and readily distinguish major depression from normal reactions to life events such as bereavement.
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- Dedication
- Preface
- 1 Introduction to Neuropsychopharmacology
- 2 Cellular and Molecular Foundations of Neuropsychopharmacology
- 3 Principles and Methods of Behavioral Pharmacology
- 4 Receptors
- 5 Amino Acid Neurotransmitters
- 6 Acetylcholine
- 7 Catecholamines
- 8 Serotonin
- 9 Histamine
- 10 Neuropeptides
- 11 Purinergic Pharmacology
- 12 Other Interneuronal Signals
- 13 Treatments for Neurological or Psychiatric Disorders: Principles of Central Nervous System Drug Development
- 14 Antidepressants and Anxiolytics
- 15 Antipsychotics
- 16 Cognitive Disorders
- 17 Movement Disorders
- 18 Pain
- 19 Epilepsy
- 20 Recreational Psychoactive Drugs
- 21 Psychostimulants
- 22 Heroin and Other Opiates
- 23 Psychedelics
- 24 Cannabis
- 25 Alcohol
- 26 Nicotine
- Index