Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...

Antidepressant Drugs: Tricyclics, SSRIs, and SNRIs

Antidepressant Drugs: Tricyclics, SSRIs, and SNRIs

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs), including Desipramine (Norpramin), Imipramine (Tofranil), Clomipramine (Anafranil), and Amitriptyline (Elavil), inhibit serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake and also block other receptors. They are used for depression, pain conditions, and insomnia. Common adverse effects include anticholinergic effects, sedation, orthostatic hypotension, and weight gain. They have a narrow therapeutic window and so require plasma-level monitoring. Abrupt discontinuation can...

Antidepressant Drugs: Overview

Antidepressant Drugs: Overview

Antidepressant drugs are a class of medications primarily used for treating various mood disorders, including major depression, anxiety disorders, and other related conditions. These medicines work by modulating the neurotransmitter balance within the brain, alleviating depressive symptoms. Antidepressants can be broadly categorized into several groups according to their mechanism of action and chemical structure: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin-Norepinephrine...

Depressants

Depressants

Depressant drugs, including alcohol and sedative-hypnotics, diminish central nervous system activity by enhancing the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that reduces brain activity and promotes relaxation. These substances can have various therapeutic uses but also pose significant risks, especially when misused or combined.
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents

Sedatives and hypnotics encompass a wide range of substances, each with its unique mechanism of action, uses, and potential adverse effects.
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...

Drug Therapy

Drug Therapy

The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Profession-led vs collaborative workforce models in dental, vision, and hearing care for older adults in community care: A mixed-methods systematic review.

Health care management review·2026

Same author

Capturing the Work of Nurses in General Practice: Development and Testing of the OCEAN-GPN Tools.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026

Same author

Emerging capabilities in microscale separations and bioanalysis.

Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry·2026

Same author

The impact of social media health information on general practice consultations in Australia: A cross-sectional study of general practitioners.

Australian journal of general practice·2026

Same author

Corrigendum to: Changes in size and co-location of health services for Australian general practice, 2000-2016.

Australian health review : a publication of the Australian Hospital Association·2026

Same author

Determining the influence of video-based benchmarking (VBB) on examiner variability in objective structured clinical exams (OSCE): The Align study.

Medical teacher·2026

Same journal

Occupational violence and staff safety in general practice.

Australian family physician·2018

Same journal

You should get that mole checked out: Ethical and legal considerations of the unsolicited clinical opinion.

Australian family physician·2018

Same journal

Understanding the decision to commence a dose administration aid.

Australian family physician·2018

Same journal

Psychological distress and risky sexual behaviours among women aged 16-25 years in Victoria, Australia.

Australian family physician·2018

Same journal

A mixed-methods feasibility study of routinely weighing patients in general practice to aid weight management.

Australian family physician·2018

Same journal

The Australian Mid-West Coastal Marine Wound Infections Study.

Australian family physician·2018

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Published on: June 6, 2025

Antidepressant use.

Christopher Harrison¹, Helena Britt, Janice Charles

¹Australian GP Statistics & Classification Centre, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Australian Family Physician

|June 10, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study challenges the National Prescribing Service

More Related Videos

Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression

Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression

Published on: January 7, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Published on: June 6, 2025

Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression

Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression

Published on: January 7, 2019

Area of Science:

General Practice
Pharmacology
Public Health

Background:

The National Prescribing Service (NPS) reported reduced antidepressant prescribing by general practitioners (GPs) between 2007-2009, attributing it to NPS interventions.
This claim was based on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescribing data.

Purpose of the Study:

To independently evaluate the NPS's claim regarding antidepressant prescribing trends.
To analyze a more comprehensive dataset that includes all GP-prescribed antidepressants, not solely those subsidized by the PBS.

Main Methods:

Utilized 12 years of nationally representative data from the Bettering Ecological and Clinical Health (BEACH) study.
Compared antidepressant prescribing patterns observed in BEACH data with the NPS report's findings.

Main Results:

Antidepressant prescribing by Australian GPs was not lower than expected during 2007-2009.
BEACH data revealed different prescribing trends compared to PBS data, indicating a potential underestimation in the NPS report.

Conclusions:

The NPS's conclusion that their interventions lowered general practitioner antidepressant prescribing between 2007-2009 is not supported by the comprehensive BEACH data.
Further investigation into the accuracy and scope of prescribing data used in public health evaluations is warranted.