lesson 18 psychopathology part 2 Flashcards
highest risk schizhophrenia diasthesis
highest risk is identical twin
genetic vulneralbility
schizophrenia stresses
social isolation (people in mexico fare better than people in america because they arent isolated)
family dynamics (ways families express emotions, fighting)
two classes of treatments for mental disorders:
psychopharmacology (meds) vs psychotherapy (change mindset)
experiment for psychopathology treatment
experiment where they gave people with ocd:
1) anti anxiety meds
2) psychotherapy
-change in brain is the same whether through drugs or therapy, so behavior/cognitions has also been changed
how neurons communicate with each other (psychopharmacology)
synapse: when action potential fired through neuron, chemical released from axon terminal of presynaptic neuron and float over to receptors on dendrites/soma of postsynaptic neuron- now either more likely to fire or less
neurotransmitter
chemicals neurons use to communicate over synapse
history of schizophrenia
before 1940s, outcomes of people with disorder were bad, left to fend for themselves
then frontal lobotomies used to decrease associated symptoms
(caused people to be disconnected)
then 1950s developed by accident drugs that have effect on symptoms (antihistamine, dopamine antagonists)
antagonist decreases action of dopamine
thorazine shuffle
one of the first drugs that helped with schizophrenia symptoms, but caused parkinsons’ like side effects where muscles lock up and person moves slowly
how do drugs impact schizophrenia
they diminish the symptoms but dont get to the root of the problem
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (depression)
serotonin left over in synapse
drugs for depression inhibit reuptake of serotonin (being taken up by trash molecules to be reused)
so now more serotonin left over (levels increase)
gaba (anxiety)
gaba in brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter
increase gaba levels, brain activity less excited (inhibited more), anxiety decreases
main drugs for psychopharmacology
ssri (depression)
anti anxiety drugs (anxiety)
anti psychotic (schizophrenia)
lithium (bipolar)
pros for using drugs for mental illness
easy to administer
cheap
people will actually take the drug
cons for using drugs for mental illness
difficult to get people to adhere to drug regimens because they like symptom of disorder (drugs deaden experiences)
not training patient to think differently; if they stop taking meds symptoms will come back
what is psychotherapy
intervening directly at level of the mind, behavior, motion
history of psychotherapy
freud psychoanalysis
view of why people experience negative events, has to do with something they dealt with in past
getting people to open wound from past, resurface problems and conceptualize the things that were once true but not anymore
treatment of psychopathology: depression
cognitive behavioral therapy (can also work with anxiety, as there is a lot of comorbidity)
cognitive behavioral therapy
focuses on changing cognitive distortions and associated behaviors to improve emotional regulation and develop coping strategies
This technique acknowledges that
there may be behaviors that people cannot control through rational thought, but also that there are ways of
helping people think more rationally when thought does play a role. In contrast to traditional behavior therapy
and cognitive therapy, CBT is problem-focused, meaning that it is undertaken for specific problems (e.g.,
reducing the frequency of panic attacks or returning to work after a bout of depression), and action-oriented,
meaning that the therapist tries to assist the client in selecting specific strategies that could help address those
problems. The client is expected to do things, such as engage in exposure exercises, practice behavior-change
skills, or use a diary to monitor relevant symptoms (e.g., the severity of depressed mood, panic attack symptoms).
This is in contrast to psychodynamic or other therapies in which goals may not be explicitly discussed or agreed
on and the client’s only necessary action is to attend the therapy session.
what does cbt do
patient experiences arousal
therapist helps change appraisal to change the meaning of that arousal
treatment of psychopathology: anxiety
cbt
exposure therapy
exposure therapy
geared at changing people’s phobic experiences
relaxation techniques like breathing then slowly expose individual to phobias
kind of conditioning: extinction
*like with woman and snake, progress can be uneven
anxiety is hard to maintain over long periods of time
psychotherapy pros
few side effects
psychotherapy cons
can be time intensive
expensive
no drugs involved
thorazine shuffle
one of the first drugs that helped with schizophrenia symptoms, but caused parkinson’s’ like side effects where muscles lock up and person moves slowly