Fortunately, the seven “small molecule” neurotransmitters (acetylcholine, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, histamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin) do the majority of the work.

Endorphin. A neurotransmitter with roles in pleasure and pain modulation.

Neurotransmitters

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary functions that are critical for survival. The ANS participates in the regulation of heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupil dilation, and sexual arousal, among other bodily processes.

The nervous system as a whole is divided into two subdivisions: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).

Psychotropic medications are drugs that treat psychiatric symptoms by restoring neurotransmitter balance. Psychoactive drugs can act as agonists or antagonists for a given neurotransmitter system.

Antagonists also bind to synaptic receptors but they decrease the effect of the neurotransmitter. Therefore, if a neurotransmitter is inhibitory, an agonist will increase its inhibitory characteristics and an antagonist will decrease it.

Neurotransmitters are often referred to as the body’s chemical messengers. They are the molecules used by the nervous system to transmit messages between neurons, or from neurons to muscles. Communication between two neurons happens in the synaptic cleft (the small gap between the synapses of neurons).

The word psychopharmacology itself tells us that this is a field that bridges our understanding of behavior (and brain) and pharmacology, and the range of topics included within this field is extremely broad. Virtually any drug that changes the way you feel does this by altering how neurons communicate with each other.

n. the use of pharmacological agents in the treatment of mental disorders. For example, acute or chronic schizophrenia is treated by administration of antipsychotic drugs or other agents.

Some of the most commonly used include: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram oxalate (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine HCI (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft).

Biological therapies include four classes of psychiatric medications: antipsychotics, antidepressants, anti-cycling agents, and hypnoanxiolytics.

In fact, in addition to shedding tears, it is completely normal for people to… shout, cuss or become silent as they process through thoughts and emotions. When it comes right down to it, whatever reactions you have throughout the therapeutic process are valid and acceptable.

When done right, about 70 percent of couples therapy cases show positive change, according to a study last year in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. When done wrong, it can make things worse, Gehart said.

8 Things Your Marriage Counselor Is Thinking But Not Telling You

• Stop trying to change your partner.
• Stop withholding sex.
• Don’t invite your smartphone into your relationship.
• Stop trying to make your spouse look bad.
• Don’t try to solve all your problems while you’re angry.
• If you cheated, stop pretending you did nothing wrong.
• Don’t spend your whole therapy session lying.

Narcissists cannot admit their flaws without in their own mind shifting from feeling special to worthless. This makes it highly unlikely that they will actually be able to utilize couples’ therapy to try to improve their approach to the relationship. Narcissists are fine while they are telling their side of the story.

Even if a couple is very unhappy in their marriage, a marriage therapist will typically keep their opinion about the relationship to themselves. To actually suggest divorce would raise some ethical and moral concerns, which is why most therapists try not to push the couple either way.