Health and Well-Being | Biological Treatment ERQ

What does biological treatment of depression assume?

that imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain is a major factor in the development of depression

Using broader and more technical terminology explain wat biological treatment assumes

the aetilogy of depression is biological

wat r antidepressants

drugs that r the key neurotransmitters involved in depressive symtoms

name some of the different classes of antidepressant drugs

tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), MAO (monoamine oxide) inhibitors, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

what differs from each class of antidepressants

is which neurotransmitters are affected and the mechanism of action

SSRIs only act on what?

serotonin and not any other neurotransmitter

How do SSRIs work

by preventing the reuptake of excess serotonin from the synpatic gap, side effects of drugs may also differ

What is the most poopular SSRI and what is the most common trade name for it

fluoxetine;prozac

wat is the aim of clinical trials

to investigate the effectiveness of treatment

wat is one type of clinical trial and is also considered the gold standard in tetsign drugs?

randomized controlled trials/RCT

RCT is wat?

a true experiment with an expeirmental group and one or several control groups where group allocation is performed randomly and all potential confounding variables are carefully controlled

wat is usually the case when it comes to RCTs

p’s dont know which group they have been allocated to

when it comes to testing the effectiveness of a drug what is important to consider?

the placebo effect

wat is the placebo effect

when p’s change their behavior just bcuz they think theyre undergoing treatment

placebo effects are very what?

strong

Prochaska and Norcoss, 2018 showed wat?

that placebo effects may account for up to 30% of effectiveness in psychotherapy on average

Why do clinical trials include a placebo group?

To determine whether a drug works beyond the placebo effect.

How do researchers demonstrate that a drug is effective?

Show a significant symptom reduction beyond what placebo would produce.

What must a drug's effects be compared against?

The effects expected from a placebo.

What is a placebo group?

A group receiving an inactive treatment for comparison.

What are the three experimental conditions in a clinical trial?	

Experimental group, placebo control, and waitlist control.

What is the experimental group?	

Participants receive the actual drug.

What is the placebo control group?	

Participants believe they receive the drug but actually receive a placebo.

What is the waitlist control group?

Participants wait for treatment and receive no medication or placebo.

Why is a waitlist control group used?

To compare treatment effects against participants receiving no treatment.

Which group is expected to show the least improvement?

Waitlist control group.

Which group is expected to show moderate improvement?

Placebo control group.

Which group is expected to show the greatest improvement if the drug works

Experimental group.

What is the expected order of improvement across the three groups?

Waitlist < Placebo < Experimental.

What would greater improvement in the experimental group suggest?	

The drug is effective beyond the placebo effect.

wat is one way to assess symptoms of depression is called wat?