Psychopharmacology Course for Clinicians and Trainees

Psychopharmacology Review Course

A review of psychotropic medications used to treat mental disorders. Topics covered include clinical pharmacology, basic neuroscience, psychopharmacology, and neurobiology of mental disorders.

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COURSE OUTLINE

Introduction to Pharmacology and Psychopharmacology

Psychopharmacology is the study of drugs that act primarily on the central nervous system to alter behavior. Psychotropic drugs are used to treat mental disorders and will be the primary focus of this course. This section is a basic introduction to the study of drugs and medications.

What is Pharmacology?

2 mins
2.75 MB

Preview

General Mechanisms in Psychopharmacology

3 mins
40.6 MB

Preview

Overview of Psychopharmacological Treatments

1 min
9.37 MB

Overview of Drug Development

2 mins
6.51 MB

Clinical Trials (Phases I-IV)

4 mins
16.7 MB

Drug Patents, Generic Drugs, Orphan Drugs, and Expedited Reviews

The Basics of Studying Drugs and Medications

In this section we will review the basics of how we study medications and drugs. We will review pharmacokinetics, which refers to the movement of drugs throughout the body as well as pharmacodynamics, which refers to how drugs act on the body to cause responses.

What is Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics?

3 mins
28.7 MB

Pharmacokinetics: Routes of Administration

Pharmacokinetics: A-D-M-E

5 mins
47.6 MB

Pharmacokinetics: Absorption

6 mins
96.8 MB

Pharmacokinetics: Distribution

4 mins
30.9 MB

Pharmacokinetics: Concentration-Time Curves

6 mins
73.6 MB

Pharmacokinetics: Steady State

2 mins
30.7 MB

Pharmacokinetics: Metabolism

3 mins
36.5 MB

Pharmacokinetics: Elimination Half-Life

2 mins
8.79 MB

Pharmacokinetics: Drug Clearance and Elimination Kinetics

3 mins
21.9 MB

Pharmacodynamics: Dose-Response Curves

Pharmacodynamics: Agonists, Partial Agonists, Antagonists, and Inverse Agonists

Genetics

What is Genetics?

The Central Dogma of Biology

What is Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)?

Altering DNA, Mutations, and Epigenetics

What is Ribonucleic acid (RNA)?

Terms, Definitions, Laboratory Techniques, and Types of Genetic Studies

Medications for Anxiety Disorders

In this section we will review anxiety disorders and medications used to treat them.

Rapid Review of Anxiety Disorders

16 mins
337 MB

Anxiolytics

27 mins
297 MB

Medications for Psychotic Disorders

In this section we will review psychotic disorders and medications used to treat them.

Psychosis

Rapid Review of Psychotic Disorders

Antipsychotics

43 mins
102 MB

Medications for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

In this section we will review attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and medications used to treat them.

Psychostimulants

22 mins
45.6 MB

Nonstimulants, Modafinil, and Armodafinil

Medications for Mood Disorders

In this section we will review mood disorders and medications used to treat them.

Mood, Affect, and Mood Disorders

2 mins
7.8 MB

Preview

Rapid Review of Depressive Disorders

2 mins
19 MB

Historical Background of Antidepressants

Preview

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

10 mins
22.4 MB

Preview

Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)

4 mins
101 MB

Norepinephrine Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRIs)

1 min
9.26 MB

Serotonin Receptor Partial Agonists (SPARIs) & Serotonin Receptor Antagonists (SARIs)

Norepinephrine Receptor Antagonists and Agonists

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)

Ketamine

3 mins
178 MB

Rapid Review of Bipolar Disorders

6 mins
84.5 MB

Mood Stabilizers

Lithium

7 mins
15.4 MB

Valproic Acid (Depakote)

3 mins
4.98 MB

Lamotrigine (Lamictal)

3 mins
6.63 MB

Carbamazepine (Tegretol)

2 mins
5.74 MB

Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)

Topiramate (Topamax)

2 mins
3.91 MB

Basic Neuroscience Principles

In this section of the course, we will review basic principles in neuroscience. Without a basic understanding of neuroscience, it will be difficult to understand the biological mechanisms underlying mental disorders and their treatments.

Divisions of the Human Nervous System

1 min
8.18 MB

Preview

Neurons and Glial Cells

Autonomic Nervous System

8 mins
78.9 MB

Neurotransmitters

3 mins
11.5 MB

Receptors

11 mins
68.4 MB

Signal Transduction

3 mins
13.4 MB

Neurotransmitter Systems

Membrane Potentials and Action Potentials

The Synapse

Medications for Cognitive Disorders (e.g. Dementia)

In this section we will review the cognitive disorders and medications used to manage them.

Neurobiology of Memory

Dementia and Cognitive Enhancers

L-Dopa and Parkinson Disease

Medications for Pain

In this section we review the neurobiology of pain and medications used to manage pain.

Neurobiology of Pain

Opioids and the Treatment of Pain

Addiction and Drug Abuse

In this section, we will review important terms, definitions, and statistics associated with addiction and drug abuse.

What is Addiction?

Preview

Sobering Statistics (Pun Intended)

Terms and Definitions

Reasons people use and misuse drugs

Dopamine, Mesolimbic Pathway, and the Neurobiology of Addiction

From Pleasure to Compulsion

Alcohol (Ethanol)

Nicotine

Marijuana (Cannabis)

Psychostimulants

Opioids (Heroin)

Methanol and Ethylene Glycol

Prescribing Psychiatric Medications in Medically Complex Patients

Keep your patients safe with our informative handouts about prescribing psychotropic medications for medically complex patients!

Psychopharmacology in Medical Illnesses (PDF)

598 KB

QTc Prolongation and Psychotropic Medications

General Psychopharmacology Facts Every Prescriber Should Know

344 KB

References

References for the course for additional reading.

References for this course

Psychopharmacology Review Questions

Test your knowledge with our 550+ review questions! Topics include psychiatry, neurology, basic neuroscience, psychology, pharmacology, and psychopharmacology. A great study aid for board exams and certification exams!

REVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (PDF)

1.11 MB