The Biomedical Therapies aimed at the altering of

The Biomedical Therapies aimed at the altering of the body’s chemistry.

Psychopharmacology • The study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior.

Emptying of Mental Hospitals

Drugs and Hospitalization

Main Categories of Drugs ØAnti-anxiety Drugs ØAntidepressants ØAntipsychotics

Antianxiety Drugs • taken for panic disorder and anxiety or stress • Effects - Like alcohol, they depress nervous system activity • Includes drugs like Valium, Xanax, and Librium and other tranquilizers • Most widely abused drugs.

Antidepressant Drugs • Lift you up out of depression. • Often given for depression, anxiety, phobias, and OCD Most increase neurotransmitters in the brain like serotonin Therapeutic Lag • Medication must be taken for about a month before becoming fully effective • No known reason why

Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft • Work by blocking serotonin reuptake

How do Antidepressants work? It’s a Mystery - - the answer is not known Ø They affect brain neutransmitters Ø They don’t work. People’s moods improve on their own because of the cyclical nature of depression Ø They work because users expect them to work (the placebo effect)

Antipsychotic Drugs • used to treat psychosis and other mental and emotional conditions. • These drugs are beginning to help schizophrenics They often block dopamine activity

Criticisms of Drug Therapies • The effects only last as long as the drug is given • Side effects can be more severe than the disorder • Patients may only respond because of the placebo effect • Therapeutic window – use varies by age, gender and ethnicity – making it hard to determine right dose of a drug • New drugs are only tested on a few people

Other Types of Biomedical Therapy • Electroconvulsive Therapy – Brief electric current is sent through the brain – Most often used for severely depressed

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation • The application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain • Used to stimulate or suppress brain activity • Also used for depression

Psychosurgery • Surgery that removes or destroys brain tissue in an effort to change behavior. • Egas Moniz developed the lobotomy in the 1930 s. Ice pick like instrument through the eye sockets cutting the links between the frontal lobes and the emotional control centers.

Lobotomy

Effectiveness of Treatment Effectiveness depends on the disorder being treated and the skill of therapist Ways of Assessing Effectiveness Client Testimonials – clients often say that treatment works – but this may be unreliable – why? ? ? • Extreme distress naturally may decrease – Regression toward the mean • The tendency for events to return toward their average state - “Time is a great healer” • “Life itself still remains a very effective therapist” - Horney • Placebo effect and ones own expectations • Justification of effort – they have taken the time and money so it better have worked

Effectiveness of Treatment – cont. Specific Disorder Panic Disorders Specific Phobias Most Effective Treatment Cognitive Therapy Depression Systematic Desensitization Behavior Therapy or Medication Cognitive Therapy Agoraphobia Exposure Treatment OCD

Who Benefits and Who Doesn’t Benefit From Treatment (Therapy) Who Benefits Who Doesn’t ü Those motivated to ü Those with hostility ü Those with family ü Some with personality ü Those who have a ü Some with psychotic get better support tendency to deal actively with problems rather than avoid them and negativity disorders

Can Therapy Be Harmful? ? ØIf therapist engages in unethical behavior – having sexual relationships with clients ØIf therapists act according to personal prejudices or are ignorant of cultural differences ØIf therapists coerce clients into doing things they don’t want to do ØIf therapists use techniques research has not backed up as effective ØIf therapists lead clients to produce false memories

Barriers to Getting Treatment • • • Concerns about the cost of treatment Lack of health insurance The stigma associated with getting psychological treatment • Cultural or racial barriers – Religious beliefs against some types of treatment – Language barriers – Treatments based on the needs of white middle-class clients