Psychiatric medications.
Every psychiatric medication entry on Shrinkopedia, organized by class. Each entry explains mechanism, evidence, common uses, and how to think about it in the context of the conditions it is prescribed for. Medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA.
For the medication reference, use PsychiatryRx. Shrinkopedia publishes class overviews and cross-cutting concepts. For per-drug pharmacology, dosing, interactions, and prescribing considerations, the network's medication reference is PsychiatryRx. Every important PsychiatryRx page carries clinician and pharmacist review dates.
New from PsychiatryRx: an interactive guide to how psychiatric medications work in the brain, reviewed by a board-certified psychiatrist.
Antidepressants
First-line pharmacotherapy for major depressive disorder and most anxiety disorders. Class overviews cover mechanism, evidence, common side effects, and how to think about starting and stopping.
- SSRIs Strong evidence
SSRIs are the most common antidepressants, first-line for depression and anxiety. How they work, what to expect, side effects, and the evidence.
- SNRIs Strong evidence
A class of antidepressant that acts on two brain chemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine. Used for depression and anxiety disorders, and some for chronic pain.
Mood stabilizers
Foundational treatment for bipolar disorder. The class overview explains the group, and lithium and lamotrigine get their own dedicated entries.
- Mood stabilizers Strong evidence
Medications used mainly for bipolar disorder, controlling and preventing episodes of mania and depression. Lithium is the classic example, with strong evidence.
- Lithium Strong evidence
What lithium is used for, how it works, what to expect starting it, and what monitoring looks like. A clear, psychiatrist-reviewed guide.
- Lamotrigine Strong evidence
What lamotrigine is used for in psychiatry, why the slow titration matters, and what to watch for. A clear, psychiatrist-reviewed guide.
Antipsychotics
Class overview covering first- and second-generation antipsychotics used across psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, and augmentation strategies.
Anxiolytics and sedatives
Benzodiazepines have specific short-term uses in anxiety, panic, and acute agitation. The entry explains where they fit, and why they are not first-line long-term treatment.
Rapid-acting and augmentation
Ketamine and esketamine for treatment-resistant depression, plus metformin's specific role in managing antipsychotic-associated metabolic side effects.
- Ketamine and esketamine Strong evidence
What ketamine and esketamine are used for in psychiatry, how they work, what a treatment course looks like, and what the risks are. A clear, psychiatrist-reviewed guide.
- Ketamine therapy Mixed evidence
A newer treatment, mainly for depression that hasn't responded to other options. It can act rapidly, but it's given in a monitored setting and isn't first-line.
- Metformin Strong evidence
Metformin is a diabetes medicine used in psychiatry to reduce weight gain from antipsychotics such as olanzapine and clozapine, alongside monitoring.
Non-medication treatments
Shrinkopedia's non-medication treatment entries (CBT, DBT, EMDR, exposure therapy, TMS, ECT, and others) live at the Treatments index. Quick access:
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) Mixed
- Behavioral activation Strong
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) Strong
- Dialectical behavior therapy Strong
- ECT Strong
- EMDR Strong
- Exposure therapy Strong
- Family therapy Mixed
- Group therapy Mixed
- Interpersonal psychotherapy Strong
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT) Strong
- Lifestyle interventions Mixed
- Mindfulness-based therapy Mixed
- Psychodynamic therapy Mixed
- Psychotherapy Strong
- TMS Strong