Psychotropic drugs and their relationship with psychopathology of affective disorders

In this paper we discuss the relationship between the psychopathology of depressive behavior and the effectiveness of drugs affecting mood. Particular emphasis is given to the recent contribution of the authors (1975-1977) to the specific items of: 1. non-psychological validation of diagnosis of primary affective disorders 2. predictability of the response to antidepressant drugs 3. factors involved in the effectiveness of long-term lithium treatment. Key words: depression, primary affective disorders, secondary affective disorders, unipolar depression, bipolar depression, N1-methylnicotinamide, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, tricyclic antidepressant drugs, lithium prophylaxis, intraerythrocyte/plasma lithium ratio.

Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF); intraerythrocyte/plasma lithium ratio (Li ratio); 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG): monoamine oxidase (MAO); morbidity risk (MR); N1-methylnicotinamide (N1-MN); norepinephrine (NE); primary affective disorders (PAD); secondary affective disorders (SAD).