Did You Know? Other Facts about Psychopharmacology

Dysfunction of the serotonin, norepinepherine, and dopamine brain chemical systems have been identified as likely causes of depressive and anxiety-related disorders.

A chemical (tyramine) common in foods that have been aged, pickled, or fermented (like cheese) can interact with MAOI medications and cause an elevation in blood pressure that can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Many antidepressants are effective for the long-term management of anxiety.

There are many other mood disorders and symptoms for which antidepressants are helpful, either alone or when combined with another class of psychiatric drug.

A mood stabilizer is a medication that treats manic symptoms and prevents or reduces the risk of mania recurrence in people diagnosed with a bipolar disorder. Mania refers to a mood condition that is, in many ways, the opposite of depression.

Mood stabilizers are often prescribed to people experiencing anxiety, irritability, agitation, impulsivity, and aggression, even though they do not have mania. This is an example of off-label prescribing.

Psychosis refers to hallucinations (hearing voices, seeing objects or people not present) or delusions (strong beliefs that are not true and are dangerous if acted upon) such as paranoia and suspiciousness.