psychotherapeutic drugs Flashcards
psychotherapeutic drugs
treatment of emotional and mental health disorders
- can range from occasional depression or anxiety to constant emotional distress
- inability to carry on normal daily living
how to establish effectiveness of drug therapy?
- subjective reporting of symptoms
- verbal reports and observations
- tools (hamilton depression rating scale, self administered rating scales)
anxiety
unpleasant emotional state
- perception of real or perceived dangers
mood (affective) disorders
- mania (abnormally pronounced emotions)
- depression (abnormally reduced emotions
- bipolar disorder- - periodic swings
psychosis
major emotional disorder that impairs the mental function of the affected individual to the point that the individual cannot participate in everyday life
- loss of contact with reality
- schizophrenia
- depressive and drug-induced psychoses
complexity of psychotherapeutic drugs
- drugs used to treat mood disorders often take weeks to take full effect
- probably reflects adaptive responses to drugs
psychotherapeutics: pathophysiology
biochemical imbalance theory: over simplistic description underlying mental health conditions
- coordination of neuronal activity play an important role in maintaining mental health
mood
sustained emotional attitude
- patient self report
affect
way the patient’s emotional state is conveyed
- others perception of the patient’s emotional state, responsiveness
mood (affective) disorders
- depression
- mania
- both (bipolar)
symptoms of depression
- sad, anxious, empty mood
- loss of interest or pleasures in activities once enjoyed
- eating habit change
- sleep habit change
- restless
- worthless
- difficulty thinking
- suicidal ideation
- decreased energy
- physical symptoms
diagnosed by observation
monoamine neurotransmitters and depression
catecholamines: NE
indolamines: serotonin (5-HT)
- irregularities in these NTs tied to depression
anti-depressant drugs
newer (safer) :
- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- mixed serotonin and NE reuptake inhibitors (SNRI)
- NE reuptake inhibitors
- tricyclic antidepressants (TCA)
- monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
SSRI example
sertraline (zoloft)
most commonly prescribed drugs for depression
SSRIs moa
selectively inhibit 5-HT reuptake
- increased serotonin concentration in synapse
- little-no effect on NE or DA reuptake
