About the tree

A map of families, not a prescription

Psychiatric medicines are usually taught as long lists of names that all sound the same. This tree teaches them the way a psychiatrist thinks: start with the symptom, then find the family of medicines usually used for it, and see how the families relate.

How to read it

Colors are symptoms. Each branch is a drug family, and its twigs are the members. Where a branch splits, the medicines are related: an enantiomer or metabolite grows off its parent drug, and formulations (immediate vs extended release, long-acting injectables) grow off the molecule they deliver, with the brand names at the tips. Vines are medicines that reach into a second symptom.

Who it's for

Medical, nursing, PA and pharmacy students, residents, and anyone learning psychopharmacology for the first time.

What it isn't

Medical education, not medical advice. It shows what families are generally used for so learners can discover how they fit together. It is not a guide to what any one person should take, and it has no dosing. Decisions about treatment belong to a patient and their clinician.

Notes marked “class notes” are general teaching content added around Dr. Taylor's walkthrough, for her review. FDA-labeled uses are summarized from public prescribing information and may change.