Download Treatment of schizophrenia

TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
Biological approach
By Annabel & Ethan
EXPLANATIONS FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA
Genes are believed to be the reason for
schizophrenia when looking at the biological
approach.
 The genes that are passed down from our parents
are the cause, meaning that if our parents suffer
from schizophrenia, we are more likely to develop
it.
 It also looks at the dopamine levels, and has been
discovered that schizophrenics produce more
dopamine or dopamine receptors than in a nonschizophrenic. This is known as the dopamine
hypothesis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDtmlXl8nw
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TREATMENTS AVAILABLE
Electro-compulsive therapy, is one treatment
available. It was originally thought that
schizophrenia and epilepsy could not occur in the
same person, therefore, inducing an epileptic fit,
would cure the patient of schizophrenia.
 ECT was done after a medical examination is
carried out, no food or drink must be consumed 6
hours before, and patients are put to sleep with
barbitures, muscle relaxant to minimise the
danger of physical injury and oxygen to stop
brain damage.
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TREATMENTS AVAILABLE
ECT uses 2 electrodes that are attached to the
patients head. An electrical current from 65 to
140V is passed through the brain for up to half a
second.
 The current causes a convulsion which lasts from
25 seconds to a few minutes.
 The patient wakes up approx 10 minutes after
the current was applied.
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TREATMENTS AVAILABLE
Another treatment is drug therapy. The first
antipsychotic drugs, also known as neuroleptics,
helped sedate the patient, and reduce the
intensity and frequency of hallucinations and
delusions and other behaviours.
 New antipsychotic drugs, fit into the dopamine
receptors in the brain, blocking the dopamine and
stopping it being onset of schizophrenia.
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EVALUATIONS
Strengths;
ECT; compared with other with other treatments,
ECT has a 60% to 90% success rate for psuchoticdepressive and manic patients.
It can often be effective when anti-depressant
drugs have failed.
Drug therapy; drugs allow the patient to live in
society.
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EVALUATION
Weaknesses;
with ECT, there are ethical issues concerned.
Since we do not know how, or indeed if, ECT works,
it should not be used as it is usually used on
patients not able to give consent because of their
condition.
ECT can also cause memory disruptions, some
being minor short-term memory loss and some
more severe including amnesia and an impaired
ability to acquire new memories.
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EVALUATION
Weaknesses;
Drug Therapy gives side effects, which could be
enough to turn people off going through the
treatment.
If people don’t follow the drug routine, it acts as a
barrier to the treatment, and can cause relapses
and remitted to hospital.
It cannot be seen as a cure, as they have to be kept
on maintenance doses of the drug to maintain the
thereputic effect.
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ANOREXIA AND ITS TREATMENT
Anorexia nervosa is a complex eating disorder with
three key features:

refusal to maintain a healthy body weight

an intense fear of gaining weight

a distorted body image
ANOREXIA AND ITS TREATMENT
There are two types of anorexia:
 In the restricting type of anorexia, weight loss
is achieved by restricting calories (following
drastic diets, fasting, and exercising to excess).

In the purging type of anorexia, weight loss is
achieved by vomiting or using laxatives and
diuretics
BIOLOGICAL CAUSES OF ANOREXIA

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Research suggests that a genetic predisposition
to anorexia may run in families. Siblings of
anorexics are 10 - 20 times more likely to develop
anorexia themselves.
People with anorexia tend to have high levels of
cortisol, the brain hormone most related to
stress, and decreased levels of serotonin and
norepinephrine, which are associated with
feelings of well-being.
ANOREXIA AND ITS TREATMENTS
Treating anorexia involves three steps:

Getting back to a healthy weight

Starting to eat more food
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Changing how you think about yourself and food
ANOREXIA TREATMENTS
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Stabilizing any serious health issues.
Hospitalization until a patient reach a less critical
weight may be necessary if they are dangerously
malnourished
Nutritional counselling. A nutritionist or dietician
will teach patients about healthy eating and proper
nutrition. also they help patients develop and follow
meal plans that include enough calories to reach or
maintain a normal, healthy weight.
Goal counselling. identifying the negative thoughts
and feelings that fuel the patient’s eating disorder and
replace them with healthier, less distorted beliefs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq5fBdhyPzE
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