Module 06: Psychopharmacology

Description: This module examines how psychoactive drugs affect neural function & behavior by acting on neurotransmitter systems. Students will explore drug mechanisms at synapses, basic principles of drug effects including tolerance, withdrawal, & addiction, & analyze major drug categories including stimulants, opiates, hallucinogens, & depressants.

Why This Module is Important: Understanding psychopharmacology is critical for counseling, clinical practice, & substance abuse treatment, enabling practitioners to understand medications, recognize substance abuse, & collaborate with medical professionals.

For counselors, this module provides:

• Understanding of how psychotropic medications work at the synaptic level for informed client discussions.
• Knowledge of addiction, tolerance, & withdrawal mechanisms essential for substance abuse counseling.
• Insight into how administration routes affect drug effects & the dangers of drug misuse.
• Understanding of contextual factors in tolerance & addiction for relapse prevention strategies.

For other psychology professionals, this module supports:

• Research into neurochemical mechanisms of addiction & pharmacological interventions.
• Clinical decision-making regarding medication referrals & side effect recognition.
• Educational approaches to substance use prevention through biological mechanisms.
• Public health perspectives on drug policy & harm reduction strategies.

Module Learning Objectives: By the end of this module students will be able to…

• MLO1: Identify mechanisms by which drugs act at synapses & classify specific drugs as agonists or antagonists for neurotransmitter systems. (CLO1, ULO1)
• MLO2: Analyze basic principles governing drug effects including routes of administration, tolerance, withdrawal, & addiction using classical conditioning & opponent-process theory. (CLO2, CLO3, ULO1)
• MLO3: Evaluate the effects of major psychoactive drug categories, assess their mechanisms of action, & critically examine treatment implications for substance use disorders. (CLO2, CLO4, ULO1)

Test Yourself: If you truly “know” this material then you will be able to…

• Describe how drugs act as agonists or antagonists at synaptic transmission points (synthesis, storage, release, receptor binding, reuptake, degradation), provide specific drug examples (tryptophan, reserpine, botulinum toxin, curare, SSRIs, organophosphates), & explain their effects on neurotransmitter activity. (MLO1)
• Explain how administration routes affect drug effects, analyze tolerance through enzymatic changes, synaptic adaptations, & classical conditioning, apply opponent-process theory to withdrawal symptoms, describe the nucleus accumbens role in addiction, & evaluate dangers of non-standard drug administration. (MLO2)
• Compare major drug categories (stimulants as adenosine or dopamine agonists, opiates as endorphin receptor agonists, hallucinogens acting on cannabinoid or serotonin receptors, depressants as GABA agonists), & discuss evidence-based addiction treatments including methadone maintenance & harm reduction strategies. (MLO3)