chapter 15 (drugs for treating schizophrenia, mood, & other disorders)

Question 1

psychiatric drugs

Answer 1

medications used to treat forms of mental illness.

Question 2

psychotropic medication

Answer 2

an alternative term for psychiatric drugs.

Question 3

biomedical model

Answer 3

the theoretical position that mental disorders are caused by abnormal biochemical processes in the brain.

Question 4

antipsychotic drugs

Answer 4

medications used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia.

Question 5

schizophrenia

Answer 5

major mental illness, characterized by the presence of hallucinations, delusions, irrational thinking, disorganized speech, and bizarre behaviour.

Question 6

delusions

Answer 6

beliefs about thoughts, feelings, or actions that are erroneous and not based in reality.

Question 7

positive symptoms

Answer 7

hallucinations or delusions that can occur in a schizophrenic individual.

Question 8

negative symptoms

Answer 8

diminished emotional expression or avolition that can occur in a schizophrenic individual.

Question 9

catatonia

Answer 9

symptoms displayed by some schizophrenic patients, characterized by a rigid, prolonged body posture.

Question 10

disorganized symptoms

Answer 10

bizarre behaviour and disorganized and/or irrational speech that can occur in a schizophrenic individual.

Question 11

typical antipsychotic drugs

Answer 11

a majority of available antipsychotic medications, all of which are associated with the possibility of parkinson’s-like side effects. first generation.

Question 12

parkinson’s-like symptoms

Answer 12

side effects of typical antipsychotic drugs, involving a fixed facial expression and difficulty walking.

Question 13

tardive dyskinesia

Answer 13

a serious side effect affecting about 10% of schizophrenic patients who have undergone chronic treatment with first-generation (typical) antipsychotic drugs. characterized by jerky movements of the face and lips, unsteadiness in walking, and rocking when seated.

Question 14

neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS)

Answer 14

a life-threatening condition due to chronic antipsychotic use or rapid withdrawal from dopamine medication for parkinson’s disease.

Question 15

atypical antipsychotic drugs

Answer 15

antipsychotic medications that, unlike earlier medications, do not produce parkinson’s-like side effects. clorazil, risperadal, zyprexa, zeldox, abilify.

Question 16

agranulocytosis

Answer 16

potentially lethal blood disorder associated with antipsychotic drug clozapine. brand name clozaril.

Question 17

catecholamines

Answer 17

family of neurotransmitters including dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. they are all synthesized from the amino acid tyrosine inside neurons.

Question 18

partial agonist

Answer 18

a drug that binds to a receptor but only with partial efficacy such that the presence of the neurotransmitter dictates the action of the drug. abilify is partial agonist at D2 receptors and differential effects depend on high or low concentration of dopamine.

Question 19

MAO inhibitors

Answer 19

class of first-generation antidepressants that redue the effects of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the brain, causing an increase in dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin concentrations.

Question 20

monoamine oxidase (MAO)

Answer 20

an enzyme that breaks down dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin at their respective synapses in the brain.

Question 21

tricyclic antidepressants

Answer 21

class of first-generation antidepressant drugs that act by blocking the serotonin and norepinephrine transporters. brand names: elavil and aventyl.

Question 22

selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Answer 22

group of antidepressants that block the reuptake of serotonin from the synapse. ex: prozac, celexa, cipralex, paxil, zoloft.

Question 23

serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

Answer 23

group of antidepressants that decrease the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine at synapses in the brain and have fewer side effects than tricyclic antidepressants. remeron, cymbalta, effexor.

Question 24

mania

Answer 24

a mood disorder characterized by agitation, bursts of energy, and impulsiveness.

Question 25

bipolar disorder

Answer 25

mood disorder in which the patient swings back and forth between feelings of depression and mania.

Question 26

lithium carbonate

Answer 26

psychiatric drug used in the treatment of mania or bipolar disorder. requires frequent blood testing.

Question 27

autism spectrum disorder

Answer 27

form of developmental disability, typically appearing during the first three years of life, that affects the normal development of the brain in areas of social communication and communication skills. autistic children and adults have difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication and emotional responses.

Question 28

off-label usage

Answer 28

the practice of prescribing the use of a particular medication, even if the drug in question has not been health canada-approved for that purpose.

Question 29

deinstitutionalization

Answer 29

social policy of encouraging mentally ill individuals to be treated in community-based programs rather than in larger mental hospitals.