Treatment of Disorders Lecture Review

Flashcards created to review key concepts from the Treatment of Disorders lecture notes.

What are the two families of treatment for disorders?

Biomedical Treatments and Psychotherapy.

What is the main goal of Direct intervention in treatment?

To address the cause of the disorder to hopefully cure it.

What is the difference between efficacy and effectiveness in treatment?

Efficacy refers to how well the treatment works in ideal conditions, while effectiveness refers to how well it works in real-life conditions.

What is a placebo?

An inert substance or procedure applied with the expectation of producing a healing response.

What are the two major types of antipsychotics?

Conventional/Typical and Atypical.

What is the primary mechanism of action for benzodiazepines?

They increase GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter.

What types of drugs are used as antidepressants?

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Bupropion, and Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs).

What is the primary use of mood stabilizers?

To treat bipolar disorder and decrease the severity of depressive and manic episodes.

What are psychostimulants primarily used to treat?

Attention disorders like ADHD.

What common side-effect is associated with the use of antidepressants?

Weight gain, reduced sexual desire, and (rarely) serotonin toxicity.

What do nocebo effects refer to?

Incorrect expectations about illness progression or treatment outcomes that make symptoms worse.

What was the primary neurotransmitter associated with feelings of well-being?

Serotonin.

What does ‘natural improvement’ in the context of treatment effectiveness mean?

Symptoms that sometimes reduce on their own without treatment.

What is the importance of Randomized Control Trials (RCT) in treatment outcome research?

They are considered the gold standard for testing the efficacy of an intervention.

What is a significant limitation of anxiolytics?

They can build strong drug tolerance and may have withdrawal symptoms.