Download Ch. 19 S. 5

Ch. 19 S. 5 : Biological Therapy
Obj: Describe the three major __________________ treatments for psychological
_______________.
The methods of psychotherapy described so far rely on _____________ interactions
between the psychotherapist and the individual seeking help.
Biological therapy, on the other hand, relies on methods such as _____________,
electric shock, and even _______________ to help people with psychological
disorders.
Because these treatments are medical in nature, they must be administered or
prescribed by psychiatrists or other physicians.
Drug Therapy
__________ therapy is the most widely used biological treatment for psychological
disorders.
Four major types of medication are commonly used:
• ___________________ drugs
• Antidepressant drugs
• ______________
• Antipsychotic drugs
• ___________________ Drugs – also called minor tranquilizers are used as an
outpatient treatment to help people with anxiety disorders or _____________
attacks. They are also prescribed for people who are experiencing serious distress
or tension in their lives.
These drugs work by depressing the activity of the nervous system. They lower the
_______________ rate and respiration rate. They also decrease feelings of
nervousness and tension.
Although antianxiety medications help control they symptoms of anxiety, they are not a
permanent ________. Thus, most people use them for a ______________ period of
time. The longer a person takes this medication, the less effective the drug may
become. Higher doses may be needed in order to achieve the same effect.
The major side effects are feelings of _______________ and possibility of developing
a dependence.
• _____________________ Drugs – People who suffer from major depression, eating
disorders or panic disorders are all treated with this type of drug.
They work by increasing the amount of one or both of the ______________
norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and serotonin. They tend to be most helpful in
reducing the physical symptoms of depression. They increase activity levels and
reduce the severity of eating and sleeping problems.
In order to work effectively, antidepressants must ___________ up in the body to a
certain level. They may take anywhere for several days to a few weeks. Severely
depressed people who are at risk of _____________ are sometimes hospitalized
until the meds reach the level required to improve their mood. This is to prevent them
from _____________, or having adverse reactions such as escalated heart rate and
excessive weight gain.
These meds are believed to be reserved for people who fail to respond to
psychotherapy.
• ______________ – The ancient Greeks and Romans may have been the first people
to use this metal to treat psychological disorders.
Today, lithium carbonate, a salt of the metal lithium, is given in tablet form to help
people with _______________ disorder. It seems to flatten out their cycles of mania
and depression. How it does this is not completely understood, although it is known
to affect the functioning of several neurotransmitters.
Side effects may be shakiness, _______________ impairment, and excessive thirst.
• ______________________ Drugs – People with schizophrenia are likely to use this
medication, also called major tranquilizers.
They are effective for ________________ agitation, delusions, and hallucinations.
Their use has enabled many thousands of people with schizophrenia to live outside
of mental hospitals and even to hold jobs.
Schizophrenia is associated with high levels of _______________ activity. These
meds are thought to work by blocking the activity of dopamine in the brain.
Side effects are that prolonged use can lead to problems in balance, coordination, and
produce tremors and twitches.
Electroconvulsive Therapy
______________________________ therapy (ECT), commonly called electric-shock
therapy, was introduced as a treatment for psychological disorders in the 1930s.
Before ECT is given, __________________ is administered to render the person
unconscious throughout the procedure. Then an ______________ current is passed
through the person's brain. The electric current produces convulsions throughout the
body. In some cases, muscle relaxant drugs are given to prevent injury during the
convulsions.
When ECT was first introduced, it was used for many psychological disorders,
including ______________________. However, once antipsychotic drugs became
available, ECT was used much less often. In fact, in 1990 the Am. Psychiatric
Association recommended that that ECT be used primarily for people with major
_________________ who do not respond to antidepressant drugs.
ECT is controversial for many reasons. For one thing, many professionals are
distressed by the thought of passing an electric shock through a person’s head and
producing ____________________. There are also side effects, including
__________________ problems, but this is usually temporary.
Despite the controversies surrounding it, ECT appears to help many people who do
___________ respond to antidepressant drugs.
Psychosurgery
Psychosurgery is ___________ surgery that is performed to treat psychological
disorders. The best-known technique, prefrontal ___________________, has been
used to reduce the agitation and violence of people with severe psychological
disorders.
The procedure involves cutting ____________ pathways in the brain between the
prefrontal lobes and the thalamus.
However, the treatment produces several serious side effects; distractibility, reduced
learning ability, overeating, apathy, social withdrawal, seizures, reduced creativity,
and occasionally even death.
Because of the side ___________________ of the surgery and the availability of
antipsychotic drugs, lobotomies are now performed only _____________.
Drug therapies, and to a limited extent ECT, seem to be effective for some
psychological disorders that do no respond to psychotherapy. It is important to
realize, however, that medications and electric shocks cannot help a person develop
more _________________ ways of thinking or solve relationship problems. Changes
such as these are likely to require psychotherapy.