psychopharmacology

American  

[sahy-koh-fahr-muh-kol-uh-jee] / ˌsaɪ koʊˌfɑr məˈkɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the branch of pharmacology dealing with the psychological effects of drugs.

---

psychopharmacology British  

/ ˌsaɪkəʊˌfɑːməkəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌsaɪkəʊˌfɑːməˈkɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of drugs that affect the mind

---

psychopharmacology Scientific  

/ sī′kō-fär′mə-kŏl′ə-jē /

1. The study and clinical use of drugs that affect the mind, especially those that are used to treat psychiatric disorders.

---

Other Word Forms

• psychopharmacologic adjective
• psychopharmacological adjective
• psychopharmacologically adverb
• psychopharmacologist noun

Etymology

Origin of psychopharmacology

First recorded in 1915–20; psycho- + pharmacology

Example Sentences

Dr. Ethan Russo, a neurologist and psychopharmacology researcher who has been studying cannabis for nearly three decades, told Salon, "I wouldn't take this kind of thing on a bet."

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2023

Andrew Scull’s “Desperate Remedies” tells the story of psychiatry in the United States from the 19th-century asylum to 21st-century psychopharmacology.

From Washington Post • Jun. 3, 2022

In delineating this history — from asylums to psychopharmacology — he considers the challenge that individuals with mental illness pose for the health of a modern society.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2022

“They’re turned into mechanics, dispensing psychopharmacology over a 72-hour period, or a one-week period, and then, ‘My job is done.’”

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2022

In Britain, Steinberg was able to study psychology at University College London, where she went on to hold one of the world’s first chairs in psychopharmacology.

From Nature • Jan. 26, 2020