Drug therapy

• The medical model of illness

  This assumption presumes that psychological disorders have a physical causes. Mental illnesses are are physicals and therefore can Be treated physically
• We can use drugs to target specific regions of the brain to treat mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression
• What are the 3 components of drug therapy ?

  1- antipsychotic drugs

  2- antidepressant drugs

  3- anti anxiety drugs
• Antipsychotics 


  Used to treat psychotic mental disorders such as schizophrenia
• Schizophrenia ?

  • lost touch with reality and has little insight into their condition
  • caused by high levels of dopamine
  • hear voices - audio hallucinations
  • see things - hallucinations
  • chemical imbalance
• Positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

  • addition of any unhealthy relationship
  • delusions
  • hallucinations
  • hear voices
• Negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

  • subtraction of healthy relationships
  • speak less
  • flattened effect
  • reduced appetite
• 2 types of antipsychotic drugs ?

  • conventional
  • atypical
• Conventional antipsychotic drugs ?

  • treating only positive symptoms - caused by increased dopamine
  • they block the action of dopamine neurotransmitters biding to (but not stimulating) dopamine receptors
• Atypical antipsychotic drugs ?

  • treat positive and negative symptoms
  • they temporarily bind to dopamine receptors and then rapidly dissociate (separate) allowing normal dopamine transition
  • they have fewer side effects the conventional drugs
• Anti depression drugs ?

  • depression is caused by low levels of serotonin
  • these drugs work by either reducing the rate of reuptake or blocking the enzyme that Breaks down the neurotransmitters
• Depression ?


  in neurotypical brains, neurotransmitters are constantly being released from the presynaptic neuro to stimulate the post synaptic neuron
• Antidepressant - prozac ?

  • block reuptake channels
  • increase levels of serotonin
  • is is an ssri (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
• How do SSRI’s work?

  bind to the pre-synaptic neuron so that serotonin cannot be reabsorbed . This increases the amount of seretonin in the synapse, prolonging the activity which can be recieved by the post-synaptic neuron
• Causes of anxiety ?

  • low levels of the neurotransmitter GABA (a neurotransmitter that slows down the activity of The central nervous system - natural anti anxiety)
  • High levels of adrenaline and noradrenalin which are part of flight or flight
• 2 types of drugs ?

  • benzodiazepines (BZ’s)
  • betablockers (BB’s)
• Benzodiazepines ?

  • slows down the central nervous system by enhancing the activity of GABA, a biochemical substance (or neurotransmitter) That is the body’s natural form of anxiety relief
  • CNS control most of the function of the body, consisting of the brain
• Betablockers

  • reduce adrenaline and noradrenaline which plays a key role in fight or flight response
  • slows down heart rate and blood pressure
  • bind to the receptors of the cells of the heart and other parts of the body that are normally stimulated by the sympathetic arousal
  • blocking these receptors makes it harder to stimulate cells in those parts of the body, so heart beats slower and blood pressure is reduced