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EXPLORING
PSYCHOLOGY
EIGHTH EDITION IN MODULES
David Myers
PowerPoint Slides
Aneeq Ahmad
Henderson State University
Worth Publishers, © 2011
Therapy
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The Biomedical Therapies
Module 36
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Drug Therapies
 Antipsychotic Drugs
 Antianxiety Drugs
 Antidepressant Drugs
 Mood-Stabilizing Medications
Brain Stimulation
 Electroconvulsive Therapy
 Alternative Neurostimulation
Therapies
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Psychosurgery
Psychosurgery
Therapeutic Life-Style Changes
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The Biomedical Therapies
Biomedical therapies treat psychological
disorders through prescribed medications or
medical procedures that act directly on the
nervous system.
For the most part, only psychiatrists (as medical
doctors) can offer biomedical treatments.
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Drug Therapies
Psychopharmacology is the study of drug effects
on mind and behavior.
With the advent of drugs, hospitalization in mental
institutions has rapidly declined.
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Drug Therapies
To test the effectiveness of a drug they are test in a
double-blind procedure. Patients are tested in two
groups, one getting the drug and the other a
placebo. Both the patients and medical health
professionals are unaware of who is taking the
drug and who is taking the placebo.
These studies have shown that several
medications are useful in treating psychological
disorders.
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Antipsychotic Drugs
Antipsychotic drugs are used to treat schizophrenia
and other forms of severe thought disorders.
Antipsychotics (such as Thorazine) work by
dampening responsiveness to irrelevant stimuli and
are helpful in treating patients with hallucinations
or delusions. However they can also have serious
side effects.
Newer atypical antipsychotics (Clozaril), also work for
patients exhibiting negative symptoms and have less
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side effects than classic antipsychotics.
Antianxiety Drugs
Antianxiety drugs (Xanax and Ativan) depress
the central nervous system. They are often used
along with psychotherapy.
Critics warn that antianxiety drugs eliminate
symptoms without addressing the underlying
causes. They can also cause physiological
dependence.
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Antidepressant Drugs
Antidepressant drugs are used to treat depression
as well as being increasingly used to treat anxiety.
Selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors (SSRIs) like
Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil improve the mood by
elevating levels of serotonin by inhibiting reuptake.
Other antidepressants work by blocking the
reabsorption of both norepinephrine and serotonin.
However, these drugs have more potential side
effects than SSRIs.
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Antidepressant Drugs
Everyone agrees that patients improve after a month
on antidepressants, but these results may be
influenced by other factors.
Double-blind studies have shown that placebos
account for about 75% of the active drug’s effect
(Kirsch 1998, 2002).
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Biology of Antidepressants
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Mood-Stabilizing Medications
Lithium Carbonate, a common salt, has been used
to stabilize manic episodes in bipolar disorders.
7 of 10 people with bipolar disorder benefit from
a long-term daily dose of lithium. Their risk of
suicide is one-sixth that of patients not taking the
drug.
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Brain Stimulation
Electroconvulsive Therapy
(ECT)
ECT is used for severely
depressed patients who do not
respond to drugs. The patient is
anesthetized and given a muscle
relaxant and then a brief
electrical current is sent through
the brain.
It is often effective, but the
results can be short-lived with 4
of 10 patients having a relapse
within 6 months.
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Alternative Neurostimulation
Therapies
Helen Mayberg and her colleagues have been studying deep
brain stimulation for the treatment of severe depression.
It works by stimulating a particular area of the brain’s cortex
through an implanted electrode.
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Alternative Neurostimulation
Therapies
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)
In rTMS, a pulsating magnetic coil is placed over prefrontal
regions of the brain to treat depression with minimal side effects.
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Psychosurgery
Psychosurgery – surgery that removed or destroys
brain tissue - is used as a last resort in alleviating
psychological disturbances.
The most well-known psychosurgery, the lobotomy,
is a procedure which cuts the nerves connecting the
frontal lobe to the inner brain. Because of its drastic
effects it is almost never used today.
Other psychosurgeries are rare, more precise, and
used only when necessary.
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Therapeutic Life-Style Changes
The biomedical therapies assume that mind and body are a
unit: Affect one and you will affect the other.
Perhaps, then, treating mind and body separately is no longer valid.
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Therapeutic Life-Style Changes
Ilardi and his colleagues promote therapeutic life-style changes. In
a 12-week study they treated people with depression:
-Aerobic exercise – at least 30 min a day, 3 days a week
-Adequate Sleep – 7 to 8 hours a night
-Light exposure – 30 minutes with a light box each morning
-Social Connection – 2 meaningful social engagements a week
-Anti-rumination – identifying and redirecting negative thoughts
-Nutritional supplements – including a daily fish oil supplement
77% of those who completed the program reported relief from the
symptoms of depression.
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