Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

antidepressant drugs
Medications 
that improve a severely depressed 
patient’s mood and feeling of well-
being.
FIGURE 1 
The major classes of drugs used to treat psychological disorders have diff erent 
eff ects on the brain and nervous system.
Drug Treatments
Class of Drug 
Eff ects of Drug 
Primary Action of Drug 
Examples 
Antipsychotic Drugs, Atypical 
Reduction in loss of touch with Block dopamine receptors 
Antipsychotic: Chlorpromazine
Antipsychotic Drugs 
reality, agitation 
(Thorazine), clozapine (Clozaril), 
haloperidol (Haldol)
Atypical 
Antipsychotic: 
rizperadine, olanzapine
Antidepressant 
Drugs 
Tricyclic antidepressants 
Reduction in depression 
Permit rise in neurotransmitters Trazodone (Desyrel),
such as norepinepherine 
amitriptyline (Elavil), 
desipramine (Norpamin)
MAO inhibitors 
Reduction in depression 
Prevent MAO from breaking
Phenelzine (Nardil),
down neurotransmitters 
tranylcypromine (Parnate)
Selective serotonin reuptake Reduction in depression 
Inhibit reuptake of serotonin 
Fluoxetine (Prozac), Luvox, Paxil,
inhibitors (SSRIs) 
Celexa, Zoloft, nefazodone 
(Serzone)
Mood 
Stabilizers 
Lithium 
Mood stabilization 
Can alter transmission of 
Lithium (Lithonate), Depakote, 
impulses within neurons 
Tegretol
Antianxiety Drugs 
Reduction in anxiety 
Increase activity of 
Benzodiazepines (Valium,
neurotransmitter 
GABA 
Xanax) 
Study Alert
To help organize your study 
of diff erent drugs used in 
therapy, review Figure 1, 
which classifi es them 
according to the catego-
ries of antipsychotic, atypical 
antipsychotic, antidepressant, 
mood-stabilizing, and antianxiety 
drugs.
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