biological treatment for disorders Flashcards
What are the 3 biological treatments?
- drug therapy
- ECT (electro-convulsive therapy)
- TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)
What does drug therapy aim to do?
treat psychological disorders with medication
What are the two medications for drug therapy that align with the biochemical explanation for mental illness?
SSRIs = depression
anti-psychotics = schizophrenia
Why does drug therapy work as a form of treatment?
- SSRIs block reuptake channel giving serotonin a better chance to bind
- anti-psychotics bind to D2 receptors so less dopamine binds
What is ECT?
padded electrodes that send high voltage electrical pulses to the brain causing a small seizure
Why does ECT work as a form of medication?
changes patterns of blood flow and metabolism in the brain regions affected by depression - releases chemicals to help the brain recover from small seizure to grow new neuro pathways
What is TMS?
a milder form of brain stimulation - weaker signals to the pre-frontal cortex - neuroplasticity
Why does TMS work as a form of medication?
stops the voices for people with schizophrenia
evaluate the treatments in regards to social sensitivity and ethics
drug therapy:
- removes accountability
- need medication for life - labels people for life
- takes away free will
ECT:
- severe side effects e.g., memory loss for full periods of life
- not mentioning side effects = lack informed consent
evaluate the treatments in regards to usefulness
drug therapy:
- takes 3 weeks to work BUT less effective over time and does not work for everyone
ECT:
- immediate treatment
- side effects BUT effective
TMS:
- not a long term solution
- very expensive as it is not a long term solution
- extremely effective - gets rid of voices for schizophrenia
evaluate the treatments in regards to free will vs determinism
drug therapy:
- deterministic - cannot control neurotransmitters
- individual differences
ECT:
- deterministic - cannot change biology
TMS:
- deterministic - cannot change activation
evaluate the treatments in regards to reductionism vs holism
drug therapy:
- oversimplifies complex processes to neurotransmission = reductionist
ECT:
- oversimplifies to blood flow = reductionist
TMS:
- oversimplifies to activation in brain regions = reductionist
evaluate the treatments in regards to psychology as a science
drug therapy:
- cannot measure / operationalise = not scientific
ECT:
- use of scientific equipment (electrodes) - objective = scientific
TMS:
- scientific equipment
evaluate the treatments in regards to ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
ECT & TMS:
- equipment needed not available everywhere
ALL:
- no culture bias - biology
evaluate ECT in regards to reliability and validity
reliability:
- standardised
validity:
- unsure why it works - lacks explanation = less valid
