PSYCHOTROPIC-DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR

Behavioural modifications induced by psychotropic drugs result primari ly from their pharmacological properties. According to classification of psychotropic drugs, sedative compounds contrast with psychostimulat ing medications. Behavioural effects of psychotropic drugs depend art dosing, subject's status (patient or healthy, volunteer), acute or chr onic administration, and environment. Some psychotropic compounds, par ticularly sedative drugs, decrease the level of mental alertness and c ognitive functioning. But those deleterious effects tend to disappear during the course of a repeated administration. Some psychotropic drug s, especially benzodiazepines, induce a tolerance effect, eventually a psychic or a physiological dependence state evidenced by withdrawal r eactions Such similar dependence processes have been reported with oth er psychotropic drugs Forensic problems have been attributed to some p sychotropic compounds like benzodiazepines: paradoxical agressive reac tions, psychomotor automatism ; Psychotropic drugs usually can confer a positive effect on behaviour owing to their therapeutic action by th e way of improving the illness and consequently the life of patients i n the cases of depression, anxiety or schizophrenia.