Download Drug-Therapy

I CAN
• Explain psychopharmacology
• Describe properties, use, and side effects
of:
•
•
•
•
Antipsychotic Medications
Anti-depressants
Anti-anxiety
stimulants
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
How Is the Biomedical
Approach Used to
Treat Mental Disorders?
Biomedical therapies seek to
treat mental disorders by
1. changing the brain’s
chemistry with drugs, its
2. circuitry with surgery, or its
3. patterns of activity with
pulses of electricity or powerful
magnetic fields
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Psychopharmacology
The prescribed use of drugs to help treat
symptoms of mental illness…
The psychological approach would use these to
ensure that individuals are more receptive to talk
therapies.
Antipsychotic Drugs
Medicines that diminish psychotic symptoms
such as agitation, delusions, or hallucinations.
These include chlorpromazine,
haloperidol, and clozapine They may have
side effects like..
Diminish symptoms
usually by their
effect on dopamine
pathways in the brain.
Tardive dyskinesia
blurred vision
dizziness
drowsiness
dry mouth
light sensitivity
Tardive Dyskinesia
An incurable
disorder of motor
control resulting
from long-term use
of antipsychotic
drugs
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Antidepressants
and mood stabilizers
• Include Prozac, monoamine
oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, and
lithium carbonate (effective
against bipolar disorder)
• Treat depression and
bipolar disorder
• Usually affects serotonin
and/or norepinephrine by
increasing their reuptake or
production
• May take weeks to get to
therapeutic levels
Paxil
Zoloft
Luvox
Effexor
Wellbutrin
Drugs used to treat depression usually fall in
TWO types:
1. MAOs: monoamine oxidase inhibitors
Monoamine oxidase…inhibitors that block the
activity of an enzyme that breaks down
serotonin
2. SSRIs: selective serotonin reuptake initiators
Dangerous side effects can include an increase
in suicidal thoughts or actions, changes in
appetite or sleep patterns, withdrawals if
stopped unexpectedly etc…
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Anti-Anxiety Drugs
• Include barbiturates and benzodiazepines
• May include some antidepressant drugs
which work on certain anxiety disorders
• Are intended to decrease extreme anxiety
and PAs by increasing the inhibitory effects
of the neurotransmitter GABA
• These are heavy depressants which can
cause fatigue and a disconnection from
reality. CANNOT be taken with regularity or
while trying to perform most tasks
• Should not be used to relieve
ordinary anxieties of everyday life
• Should not be taken for more than a
few days at a time
• Should not be combined with alcohol
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Stimulants
Suppress activity level in persons with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD).
Work by increasing the
activity of the thalamus,
thereby increasing the
“filter” with which we
focus.
Side effects include
fatigue/”crash”, decrease
in appetite, weight loss,
etc…
Since 1991 prescriptions
for all drugs to treat
ADHD have quintupled.
This year about six million
children, will take Ritalin
or other forms of
methylphenidate.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
CAN I?
• Explain psychopharmacology
• Describe properties, use, and side effects
of:
•
•
•
•
Antipsychotic Medications
Anti-depressants
Anti-anxiety
stimulants
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007