ch 16.8- Biomedical Therapies

Drug treatments

psychopharmacotherapy: process of treating psychological disorders with drugs -how pharmaceutical interventions can help mental illness

• psychotropic drugs - influence our psychology in someway > cognition, behaviour, emotions

Blood-brain barrier

a network of tightly packed cells that only allow specific types of substances to move from the bloodstream to the brain - tightly packed cell walls; tightly packed membrane (fine filter) allowing only certain things to enter the brain as its very sensitive to foreign particles = extra layer of security, drugs need mechanisms to pass through

Mood Stabilizers

drugs that prevent or reduce the manic side of bipolar disorder

Lithium: reduces severity/frequency of manic phases - salt compound, can be dangerous to take as it builds up toxic levels of concentration in blood and damage our kidneys

• replaced by anticonvulsant medications - drugs that are more regularly used for epilepsy and seizures, they promote GABA

treatment compliance often a problem during mania - people become impulsive, might think they dont need treatment

Anti anxiety drugs

alleviate nervousness and tension, and to prevent and reduce panic attacks - gives a calmness

promote activity of GABA (inhibitory neurotransmitter thereby reducing neural activity)

short term effects and high potential for abuse - impaired attention, concentration, drowsiness, tolerance increases needing higher dosages

MDMA- Assisted Therapy

early evidence that MDMA (ecstasy) may facilitate therapy for individuals with PTSD - controlled dosage of drug and then guided through therapy session

Increases norepinephrine, serotonin & dopamine - regulates mood and regulating levels of arousal

Facilitates concentration and trust during therapy so as to better contextualize traumatic memories

Antipsychotic drugs

prescribed for disorders such as schizophrenia and severe mood disorders

first generation: blocked dopamine receptors & did so effectively but had bad side effects…

Tardive Dyskinesia: Parkinsonian like symptoms marked by involuntary movements and facial tics - affects quality of life

Atypical antipsychotics (second gen): reduced dopamine and serotonin - not such drastic affects (high potency) sometimes glutamate is targeted as it contributes to negative symptoms

can have risk of side affects: weight gain, compromising immune system; work in only half the people, affects wear off over time