Key concepts in psychopharmacology

Drugs are one of the key treatment modalities in psychiatry, so an understanding of their pharmacology is critical for all people involved in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. This contribution covers the key elements of drug pharmacology. It explains their target proteins, either receptors or enzymes, and how drugs' specificity can vary. In addition, key aspects of agonist efficacy and dose-effect responses, partial agonists and the meaning and effects of antagonists and inverse agonists are described. Key examples relevant to psychiatry are used.