Your Brain on Drugs: Psychopharmacology

PSY 1201 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

An introduction to how psychoactive drugs affect mood, sensation, consciousness, and other psychological and behavioral functions in both healthy people as well as individuals suffering from drug abuse or psychiatric disorders. Introduces concepts in the neuropharmacology and pharmacokinetics of drugs and blends psychology, neuroscience and pharmacology together to understand how drugs work and are used to treat disease states. The course covers the mechanism of action and treatment options of many CNS drugs including those used to treat depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, ADHD, autistic spectrum disorder, anxiety as well as drugs of abuse such as alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, cannabis, opiates, inhalants, amphetamine/cocaine, hallucinogens, and steroids. Special topics on vaping, drug interactions, sleep disorders, over the counter drugs, and  selecting generic medications are covered. During the last two lectures students will participate in debates on controversial topics such as novel treatments for psychiatric disorders, ethical use of placebos, diagnosing ADHD, cannabis legalization, and needle exchange programs.

Enrollment Instructions:
Only Juniors and Seniors who have passed the pre-requisite courses will be permitted to enroll. If you do not have all of the pre-requisites, but have other experiences (such as AP courses in High School, hands on work or intern experience, other related coursework, etc.) you may petition to enroll via My.Harvard. Also, students who are non science concentrators (e.g., economics, math, computer science, government) may petition to enroll Pass/Fail. 

All petitions, regardless of your concentration, must be completed by following the detailed instructions provided in the uploaded FAQ document in the Files folder on this site. Incomplete or blank petitions will be denied.  

Recommended Prep

The Psychology Department requires completion of Science of Living Systems 20 or Psychology 1 or the equivalent of introductory psychology (e.g. Psych AP=5 or IB =7 or Psyc S-1) and at least one foundational course from PSY 14, PSY 18, MCB/NEURO 80, MCB 81 or Psyc S-1240 before enrolling in this course; or permission of instructor.