Medical and Biological Treatments
Healing the Mind through the Brian
Antianxiety MedicationsWorrying can be helpful when it spurs you to take action and solve a problem. But if you’re preoccupied with “what ifs” and worst-case scenarios, worry then becomes the problem. Unrelenting doubts and fears can be paralyzing. They can sap your emotional energy, send your anxiety levels soaring, interfere with your daily life and even cause panic attacks.
Antianxiety Medications are drugs used to help reduce a persons experience of fear or anxiety. Many different types of medications are used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including traditional anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines, and newer options like antidepressants and beta-blockers. These medications can be very effective, but they shouldn’t be thought of as a cure. It is important to be aware of the risks and side effects that come with these different kinds of drugs. Anxiety medication can provide temporary relief, but it doesn’t treat the underlying cause of the anxiety disorder. Once you stop taking the drug, the anxiety symptoms often return in full force. Anxiety medication can cause a wide range of unpleasant and sometimes dangerous side effects. Many medications for anxiety are also habit forming and physically addictive, making it difficult to stop taking them once you’ve started. They can have negative effects on coordination and memory and when benzodiazepines are mixed with alcohol it can slow breathing and lead to accidental death. Antidepressants are often preferred over the traditional anti anxiety drugs because the risk for dependency and abuse is smaller. Antidepressants and Mood StabilizersAntidepressants are a class of drugs that help lift people’s mood. Most antidepressants take about one month before they start to have any effect on a person’s mood. They relive the symptoms of depression and effectively treat antianxiety disorders; they can also resolve other problems such as eating disorders. The most common antidepressants are SSRI’s (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) they work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin in the brain and that makes more serotonin available in the synapse between neurons.
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Antipsychotic MedicationsAntipsychotics are a class of psychiatric medication primarily used to manage psychosis, in particular in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They are the most common medical approach to treating psychological disorders.
Treatment for these disorders started in the 1950’s with certain drugs being used on patients with schizophrenia as a sedative. The patients were left docile and euphoric when they had originally been agitated and unmanageable. Antipsychotic medications are believed to block dopamine receptors in parts of the brain such as the midbrain and the subcortical structures. These medications reduce dopamine activity suggesting that schizophrenia may be caused by too much dopamine in the synapse. There are two types or categories of antipsychotics: Typical Antipsychotics, or First Generation Antipsychotic Drugs. The typical, or conventional, antipsychotics were first developed in the 1950s. Haldol (haloperidol) and Thorazine (chlorpromazine) are the best known typical antipsychotics. They are still useful in the treatment of severe psychosis and behavioral problems when newer medications are ineffective. However, these medications do have a high risk of side effects, some of which are quite severe. Side effects vary among the various agents in this class of medications but common side effects include: dry mouth, muscle stiffness, muscle cramping, tremors, EPS (extrapyramidal symptoms) and weight-gain. Atypical Antipsychotics, or Second Generation Antipsychotic Drugs. These new medications were approved for use in the 1990s. With the discovery of clozapine in 1959, it became evident that this drug was less likely to produce extrapyramidal effects and physical symptoms such as tremors, paranoia, anxiety, and dystonia as a result of improper doses or adverse reactions to this class of drug. The side effects of most atypical drugs tend to be different and sometimes more mellow from those of the first generation antipsychotics and are now used more. |
Herbal and Natural ProductsAlternative medications are more easily available at your local grocer or over the counter and are less expensive. They are also being used more today because they are less addictive. These drugs are not considered medications by the FDA and are exempt from further research and funding. So how do we really know they can help? There is some research in herbs, vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids that shows a lower rate of depression and suicide. Multiple research studies have shown that omega-3s are superior to placebos in decreasing depression. Vitamin B-12 and other B vitamins play a role in producing brain chemicals that affect mood and other brain functions. Low levels of B-12 and other B vitamins such as vitamin B-6 and folate may be linked to depression.
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Combining Medication and PsychotherapyWhich is more effective or is a combination of both produces the best outcome? It depends on the problem in consideration, some researchers have found that when treating certain psychological disorders medication can be more effective than treatment. In the case of mood an anxiety disorders medication and psychological treatments are equally effective. The complication of combining treatments is difficult because they are often provided by different doctors/people so there needs to be cooperation between all parties. It is commonly believed that optimal outcome of treatment for many psychiatric disorders can be achieved by combining medication and psychotherapy.
Supportive psychotherapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that integrates psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and interpersonal conceptual models and techniques. This is said to have the most positive outcome. |
Biological Treatment Beyond MedicationElectroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) or “shock therapy” is a treatment that involves inducing a brief seizure by delivering an electrical shock to the brain. This type of therapy is controversial but sometimes needed for patients who have no other options. It is where they can look to when their medications side effects are unbearable or psychotherapy doesn’t work. There are many other forms of biological therapies for people besides ECT; magnetic stimulation, phototherapy and psychosurgery are other options to change brain activity.
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References:
Calmclinic.com "Natural & Herbal anxiety Remedies" Web. July, 2015. http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/natural-herbal-remedies
Guzman, Flavio. "First Vs. Second Generation Antipsychotics" Psychopharmacologyinstitute.com Web. July, 2015 http://psychopharmacologyinstitute.com/antipsychotics-videos/first-second-generation-antipsychotics/
Psychiatryonline.org "17 Combining Psychotherapy With Medication" Web. July, 2015 http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.books.9781585623648.gg17
Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., Wegner, D. M., & Nock, M. (2014). Treatment of Psychological Disorders. In Introducing psychology (pp. 630-644, 657-661). New York, NY: Worth.
Guzman, Flavio. "First Vs. Second Generation Antipsychotics" Psychopharmacologyinstitute.com Web. July, 2015 http://psychopharmacologyinstitute.com/antipsychotics-videos/first-second-generation-antipsychotics/
Psychiatryonline.org "17 Combining Psychotherapy With Medication" Web. July, 2015 http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.books.9781585623648.gg17
Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., Wegner, D. M., & Nock, M. (2014). Treatment of Psychological Disorders. In Introducing psychology (pp. 630-644, 657-661). New York, NY: Worth.