Overview of Psychiatric Medications for Mental Health

Psychiatric medications are prescribed to treat various mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. They help regulate neurotransmitter levels in the brain to alleviate symptoms.
Category
Drug
Where to get
Available with a doctor's prescription at pharmacies.
Applicable for
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Psychiatric Medications FAQ

What is psychiatric medication?

Psychiatric medication includes all drugs which can be prescribed to: prevent the return of mental health problems and their symptoms (also known as relapse). What types of psychiatric medication are there? Will I be offered medication for my mental health? How long might I need to take medication for?

What types of psychiatric medication are there?

lithium and other mood stabilisers. Antidepressants are usually prescribed to help with moderate or severe depression. This may include experiencing depression as part of another mental health problem.

What is a psychiatric or psychotropic medication?

A psychiatric or psychotropic medication is a psychoactive drug taken to exert an effect on the chemical makeup of the brain and nervous system. Thus, these medications are used to treat mental illnesses.

What are the 10 most prescribed psychiatric drugs?

As of 2013, the 10 most prescribed psychiatric drugs by number of prescriptions were alprazolam, sertraline, citalopram, fluoxetine, lorazepam, trazodone, escitalopram, duloxetine, bupropion XL, and venlafaxine XR.

Psychiatric Medications References

If you want to know more about Psychiatric Medications, consider exploring links below:

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