Psychology / Unit 3 Psych 0348 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Depressants
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The idea
Depressants reduce central nervous system activity, slowing breathing, heart rate, and reaction time.
In practice
Alcohol and benzodiazepines both increase GABA activity, lowering overall neural firing.
Where people slip
Depressant does not mean it lowers mood. It describes the effect on the nervous system's activity level.
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