What do antipsychotic, antianxiety, and antidepressant drugs do, and how effective are they?
● Antipsychotic drugs work by blocking the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine and are used primarily to treat schizophrenia.
● Antianxiety drugs boost the neurotransmitter GABA and are most often prescribed to treat people with anxiety disorders or people suffering from stress.
● Antidepressant drugs affect the neurotransmitter serotonin and are useful for treating major depression.
● The development of these drugs enabled many people with serious mental illnesses to be deinstitutionalized and improved the quality of life for millions of people.
