Biomedical treatments include specific medical procedures and medications that can help to alleviate symptoms of psychological disorders. Often, biomedical treatments are used in conjunction with talk therapies and are described as combined approaches to treatment.

What is Biomedical Therapy? Biomedical therapies seek to treat mental disorders by changing the brain’s chemistry or patterns of brain function through medication and/or surgery

Testing New Drugs When a new drug is released, there is always too much enthusiasm. New drugs must be tested using a double-blind procedure to combat placebo and experimental effects. Double blind – To test the effectiveness of a drug, patients are tested with the drug and a placebo. Two groups of patients and medical health professionals are unaware of who is taking the drug and who is taking the placebo (apart of the control group_

Antipsychotic Antianxiety Antidepressant What they do How they work Reduces the symptoms of schizophrenia, especially “positive” symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions Temporarily reduces worried thinking and physical agitation; might permanently erase traumatic associations Improves mood and control over depressing and anxious thoughts How they work Blocking dopamine receptors Slowing nervous system activity in the body and brain Increasing levels of serotonin (sometimes norepinephrine) at synapses by inhibiting reuptake; possible neurogenesis Side effects Obesity, diabetes, and movement problems (sluggishness, twitching, or eventually tardive dyskinesia--odd facial/tongue and body movements) Slowed thinking, reduced learning, dependence, and withdrawal Dry mouth, constipation, and reduced sexual desire and/or response Types of Medication No animation. Brand names for antipsychotics that students might have heard of: Haldol, Risperdal, Clozaril, Zyprexa, Abilify, Seroquel. I have left Zyprexa on the list because it’s mentioned in the text, even though it’s rarely used because of the increased risk of diabetes. “Tardive dykenesia” literally means “late bad movements”; it shows up later than other side effects, and only after chronic use. Antianxiety medicine includes alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and buspirone (Buspar). A student might say, “I take Paxil (or Effexor or Prozac) for anxiety.” Yes, many medications for depression also have benefits for anxiety disorders. This is especially true for OCD more for the “worrying” than for the physical agitation parts of anxiety. In case someone asks, “slowing nervous system activity” (under “Antianxiety”) is mostly about increasing synaptic levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Antidepressant medication includes fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft).

ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS Drugs Diminish psychotic symptoms such as agitation, delusions, hallucinations by manipulating dopamine Side effects: Blurred vision Dizziness Drowsiness Dry mouth Tardive Dyskinesia Drugs Thorazine Risperdal Clozaril Many more

Tardive Dyskinesia An incurable disorder of motor control resulting from long- term use of antipsychotic drugs Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

MOOD STABILIZING DRUGS Usually manipulate serotonin or norepinephrine levels to treat depression and bipolar disorders Drugs Lithium (Sodium) Prozac (SSRI) Paxil (SSRI) Many more

ANTI-ANXIETY DRUGS Drugs Relieve stress and anxiety by regulating serotonin levels and elevating mood. Usually consist of antidepressants as well. Drugs Xanax Ativan Barbiturates Benzodiazepines Many more

BRAIN STIMULATION THERAPY Alter brain and physical state through psychosurgery and medical procedures Procedure types Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) Insulin Shock Therapy (induced coma) Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Example of ECT [ECT] induces a mild seizure that disrupts severe depression for some people. This might allow neural re-wiring, and might boost neurogenesis. No animation.

Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiUL7pm4w3A Another option is repeated deep- brain stimulation using implanted electrodes. Like ECT, these techniques may disrupt depressive electrochemical brain patterns. No animation.

Psychosurgery A lobotomy Microsurgery might work by disrupting problematic neural networks involved with aggression or obsessive-compulsive disorder. A lobotomy destroys the connections between the frontal lobes and the rest of the brain. This decreases depression, but also destroys initiative, judgment, and cognition. Automatic animation.

Therapeutic Lifestyle Change We can indirectly affect the biological components of mental health problems. Exercise can boost serotonin levels and reduce stress. Changing negative thoughts can improve mood and even rewire the brain. Mental health problems also can be reduced by meeting our basic needs for sleep, nutrition, light, meaningful activity, and social connection. Click to reveal bullets.

Preventing Psychological Disorders In addition to treating mental health disorders, some mental health professionals, especially social workers, also work to reduce the risk of mental health disorders. Such prevention efforts include: support programs for stressed families. community programs to provide healthy activities and hope for children. relationship-building communication skills training. working to reduce poverty and discrimination. No animation.