Psychopharmacology Reconsidered: A Concise Guide Exploring the Limits of Diagnosis and Treatment

Acknowledgements
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
	References
Chapter 2: The Biochemical Basis for Psychopharmacology in the Brain Synapse: Are We Looking in the Right Place?
	Reference
Chapter 3: Are DSM or ICD Diagnoses the Basis for Scientific Use of Psychopharmacologic Drugs?
	References
Chapter 4: The Clinical Control Trial in Psychiatry: What It Is, What It Has Been, and Does It Have a Future?
	Post-hoc Analyses
	Acute Trials, Prevention Trials, “Survival Trials” and Crossover Trials
	The Role of the Clinical Trial in the Teaching of Psychopharmacology
	Individual Differences
	Advice for the Clinical Reader of Controlled Trials
	Add-On Vs. Placebo Controlled Trials
	The Role of Guidelines
	Pathways for the Future
	References
Chapter 5: Antidepressant Drugs: For Anyone Sad or Only for the Melancholic Depressed?
	Maintenance Treatment with Antidepressants
	The Development of SSRIs AND SNRIs
	The Monoamine Theories of Depression
	Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors
	Bipolar Depression
	Antidepressants in Panic Disorder
	Switching Antidepressants in Treatment Resistance
	Cortisol and Depression
	Side Effects
	Pregnancy and Lactation
	Animal Models and Depression Psychopharmacology
	Stimulants in Depression
	Antidepressants in Depression After Myocardial Infarction
	Antidepressants and COVID-19
	Psychological Effects of Antidepressant Treatment
	Clinical Vignettes
	References
Chapter 6: Antipsychotic Drugs: Do They Define Schizophrenia or Do They Blunt All Emotions?
	Rating Scales
	Pharmacodynamics
	The Disease Model
	Mechanisms of Action
	The Dopamine Hypothesis
	New Antipsychotics
	Philosophy of Antipsychotic Treatment
	Doses
	Side Effects
	Clinical Vignettes
	References
Chapter 7: Antianxiety Medications: Are They Addictive or Are They Mankind’s Precious Heritage?
	Historical Background
	The Nonlinear Nature of Anti-anxiety Treatment
	Alcohol as a Proto Anti-anxiety Drug
	Non-barbiturate Sedatives
	Benzodiazepines
	The Mechanism of Action of Benzodiazepines
	The Z Drugs
	Comparison of Treatment of Anxiety with Benzodiazepines Vs. Antidepressants
	Side Effects
	Sleep Architecture
	Benzodiazepine Use in Psychiatry-Related Medicine
	Pregnancy and Lactation
	Clinical Vignettes
	References
Chapter 8: Mood Stabilizers: Off the Gold Standard?
	Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
	Efficacy of Lithium in Bipolar Disorder
	Carbamazepine
	Valproic Acid
	Mood Stabilizers
	Antipsychotics as Mood Stabilizers
	Administration of Lithium
	The Importance of Patient History
	Suicidality
	Individual Differences and Prediction of Lithium Response in Bipolar Disorder
	Toxicity
	Side Effects
	Polyuria and Polydipsia
	Tremor
	Mood Stabilizers in Schizoaffective Disorder
	Mood Stabilizers in Unipolar Depression Maintenance Therapy
	Is Lithium in any Sense Specific?
	Clinical Vignettes
	References
Chapter 9: Electroconvulsive Therapy, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Deep Brain Stimulation and tDCS
	TMS
	Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
	Transcranial Direct Stimulation of the Brain
	Clinical Vignettes
	References
Chapter 10: Pain Medication and Opiate Addiction
	Treatment of Opiate Addiction
	Side Effects
	Causes of Opiate Addiction
	Clinical Vignettes
	References
Chapter 11: Stimulant Drugs: Are They Specific for Attention Deficit Disorder or Are They Abused and Overused?
	The Specificity of Stimulants in ADHD
	Effectiveness of Stimulant Treatment in ADHD
	Side Effects of Stimulant Drug Treatment
	Psychological Side Effects of Stimulant Treatment
	Comorbidity
	Use of Stimulants for Learning Enhancement
	Long Term Outcomes
	Non Monoamine-Releasing Stimulants
	Use of Stimulants in ADHD Diagnosed Adults
	Pregnancy and Lactation
	How Can Dopamine Enhancement Help with Hyperactivity and Dopamine Reduction Improve Psychosis?
	Vignettes
	References
Chapter 12: Childhood Psychopharmacology: Modern Parent’s Salvation or Danger to the Brains of the Future Generation?
	Enuresis
	Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
	Autism
	References
Chapter 13: Drugs for Alzheimer’s and Other Dementia: Are they Worth Anything?
	References
Chapter 14: Drugs for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Could Such Obviously Psychological Disorders Have a Pharmacological Treatment?
	Clinical Treatment of OCD
	Side Effects of SSRI Treatment of OCD
	OCD Symptoms in Other Syndromes and in Childhood
	Clinical Vignettes
	References
Chapter 15: Cannabis: A Useful Psychotropic for Pain, PTSD and Sleep or a Gateway to Schizophrenia?
	Rimonabant and Dronabinol
	Synthetic Cannabinoids
	References
Chapter 16: Ketamine and Psychedelics in PTSD and Depression: The New Frontier or the New Pandemic?
	Introduction
	Ketamine
	MDMA (Ecstasy)
	Psilocybin
	LSD
	Mechanisms
	References
Chapter 17: The Placebo Response in Psychopharmacology and the Use of Nutraceuticals in Clinical Psychopharmacology
	The Placebo Response in Psychopharmacology
	Neurotransmitter Precursors
	Omega – 3 Fatty Acids
	Inositol
	Folic Acid
	Niacin
	References
Chapter 18: Sexual Psychopharmacology: Important Symptomatic Treatment in Depression and Anxiety?
	Erectile Dysfunction
	Side Effects
	Clinical Use
	Sildenafil Abuse
	Rapid Ejaculation (PE)
	Women and PDE-5 Inhibiters and SSRIs
	Testosterone for Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction
	HRT
	Transgender Treatment
	Sexology, Psychopharmacology and Psychiatry
	Clinical Vignettes
	References
Chapter 19: Neuropsychopharmacology: Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Tardive Dyskinesia, Narcolepsy, Migraine, Tourette’s and Schizophrenia-Like Psychosis of Epilepsy
	Huntington’s
	Narcolepsy
	Parkinson’s
	Tardive Dyskinesia
	Migraine
	Tourette’s Syndrome
	Schizophrenia-like Psychosis of Epilepsy
	References
Chapter 20: Medication for Eating Disorders: By Popular Demand?
	Obesity
	Anorexia Nervosa
	Bulimia
	Conclusions
	References
Chapter 21: Pharmacological Treatment of Alcohol Abuse: A Short Chapter
	Introduction
	References
Chapter 22: Is There a Potential for New Treatments in Psychopharmacology or Have We Picked All the Low Hanging Fruit?
	RHB
	PL
	References
Chapter 23: Learning and Teaching Psychopharmacology: A resident’s Point of View
	Antidepressants and Sexual Psychopharmacology
	Antipsychotics
	Mood Stabilisers
	OCD
	Anxiety
	Stimulants and Children
	Clinical Trials, Diagnosis, Placebo and the Future
	Concluding Remarks
	References
Corrections to: Learning and Teaching Psychopharmacology: A resident’s Point of View
	Correction to: Chapter 23 in: R. H. Belmaker, P. Lichtenberg, Psychopharmacology Reconsidered, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40371-2_23
Index