PSYCO105 Lecture 15: Biological Treatments of Disorders
1 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Biological Treatments
Emphasize biological factors
❏Drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, psychosurgery
Psychopharmacology
❏Study of how drugs affect cognitions, emotions, behaviour
❏200 million such prescriptions written per year.
Drug Therapies
1. Anti-Anxiety Drugs → Often used to treat anxiety issues
a. Reduce anxiety without affecting alertness
b. Slow down excitatory synaptic activity
c. Side effects: Drowsiness, lethargy, dependence → May become dependent and
experience withdrawal effects.
2. Anti-Depressents → often used for depression, but also many other disorders.
a. Tricyclics → Increase activity of norepinephrine and serotonin
i. Prevent reuptake of excitatory neurotransmitters.
b. Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) inhibitors
i. Increase activity of norepinephrine and serotonin
ii. Monoamine oxidase breaks down neurotransmitters
iii. Severe side effects (potential for suicidal thoughts).
c. Selective serotonin reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
i. Block reuptake of serotonin
ii. Milder side effects than other antidepressants
iii. Reduce depressive symptoms more rapidly.
iv. Increase negative thoughts.
d. Antipsychotic Drugs
i. Decrease action of dopamine
ii. Reduces positive symptoms of schizophrenia (eg delusions and hallucinations)
iii. Little effect on negative symptoms (apathy and withdrawal)
iv. Severe side-effects → tardive dyskinesia
1. Irreversible movement disorder.
Mind, Body and Therapeutic Interventions
❏Psychological and biological treatments affect brain function
❏PET scans → Psychotherapy and drug therapy showed similar changes in blood flow for 3 brain
areas
Drug Therapies → Using combination of drug therapy treatments can be more effective sometimes.
1. Schizophrenia
2. Major Depression
Electroconvulsive Therapy
❏Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) procedure → Patient given sedative and muscle relaxant
❏Shock less than 1 second, causing seizure of CNS
❏Useful in treating severe depression when severe
❏Effects can be immediate
❏60-70% improve
❏But high relapse rate → Memory loss and brain damage
Psychosurgery
❏Remove or destroy parts of brain → least used of biomedical procedures
Document Summary
Study of how drugs affect cognitions, emotions, behaviour. 200 million such prescriptions written per year. Prevent reuptake of excitatory neurotransmitters: monoamine oxidase (mao) inhibitors. Severe side effects (potential for suicidal thoughts): selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ssris) Increase negative thoughts: antipsychotic drugs i. i. ii. iii. i. ii. iii. iv. i. ii. iii. iv. Reduces positive symptoms of schizophrenia (eg delusions and hallucinations) Little effect on negative symptoms (apathy and withdrawal) Psychological and biological treatments affect brain function. Pet scans psychotherapy and drug therapy showed similar changes in blood flow for 3 brain. Drug therapies using combination of drug therapy treatments can be more effective sometimes. areas: schizophrenia, major depression. Electroconvulsive therapy (ect) procedure patient given sedative and muscle relaxant. Shock less than 1 second, causing seizure of cns. Useful in treating severe depression when severe. But high relapse rate memory loss and brain damage. Remove or destroy parts of brain least used of biomedical procedures.
