The discussion also examines current controversies regarding such issues as drug legalization, whether drug therapy cures mental illness, and whether pharmaceutical companies develop and promote their products ethically. Individual chapters define psychopharmacology, explain the effects of psychoactive drugs on neurotransmitter function, describe the principles of drug action, classify drugs according to whether they are used medically or nonmedically, and provide an overview of factors that influence an individual's responses to drugs. Additional chapters focus on the development, testing, and promotion of new drugs; the pharmacological dangers and benefits of psychoactive drugs; the effects of drugs on the embryo, fetus, and developing young; the issue of legalization; survey results regarding drug users and drug abusers; drug abuse prevention; drug treatment; and psychoparmacotherapy. Tables, figures, glossary, drug index, subject index, and more than 1,000 references