PSY 120 Lecture Notes - Tricyclic Antidepressant, Chorea, Electroconvulsive Therapy
Document Summary
Contemporary view alternated between mental disorders as diseases [medical treatments][ and emotional problems. Drug treatment on the rise with growing recognition of biological and genetic components to disorders. Medications that alter the production of or response to neurotransmitters in the brain. Antipsychotic drugs: drugs used primarily in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Most designed to block or reduce the sensitivity of brain receptors that respond to dopamine. Antidepressant drugs: used primarily in the treatment of mood disorders, especially depression and anxiety. Tranquilizers: drugs commonly but often inappropriately prescribed to patients who complain of unhappiness, anxiety, or worry. Lithium carbonate: drug frequently given to people suffering from dipolar disorder [moderates nonrepinephrine and stops overstimulation from glutamate] *see chapter four how neurons communicate * figure 4. 6. The placebo effect: high relapse and dropout rates, dosage problems [therapeutic window, unknown long-term risks.
