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Psychiatry pharmacology
Relation between dopamine levels and schizophrenia
Relation between dopamine levels and schizophrenia
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Psychiatry is a medical field that deals with the diagnoses, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. The FDA is constantly approving drugs for psychiatrists to use that are supposed to help with in their practice. For example, Michael Levin-Epstein, who wrote the article “A New Way to Deliver Psychiatric Meds: Drugs for ADHD and Major Depression Now Can Be Delivered with Skin Patches,” shows how pharmacotherapy is continually being advanced by new ideas and approaches. However, Psychiatric drugs are not always the answer. Prescriptions are not a good remedy when it comes to the overcoming of a mental illnesses, because there is not enough information regarding the effects of the drugs, pharmaceutical companies are driven by profits, …show more content…
The basis of of why one can not put faith in the solution of pharmaceutical drugs has to do with the fact that there is not enough information concerning the repercussions of psychiatric drugs; which in turn, has to do with the fact that the brain is the most complex part of the human body. One has to understand how the brain works completely in order to know the effects psychiatric drugs will have; medical practitioners do not know enough about the brain yet. This is why Joel Paris, a professor of psychiatry at McGill University, writes in his book “Use and Misuse of Psychiatric Drugs: An Evidence Based-Critique” how due to the fact medical practitioners are still learning about the brain and how it works, one can not know how the brain is going to react completely to the medications (11-12). Because of this, Joel states, “Psychiatrists like to believe that the drugs they prescribe have precise, scientifically proven effects on the brain. But the fact is that while we understand what these agents can do, we do not know how they work” (11). Still referring to the complexity of the brain, Joel further …show more content…
For example, depression is something people will take medication for, but how can one really distinguish whether somebody is having a bad day, from being truly depressed. Even if a psychiatrist was able to tell the difference, it is still not a good idea that someone has to take a pill (or other means of medications) in order for one to not be depressed. Consequently, that person will become dependent on drugs instead of truly overcoming depression. Joanna Moncrieff, wrote the book “Myth of the Chemical Cure: A Critique of Psychiatric Drugs,” where she states, “It (power) has facilitated the particular form of social control that is embodied in psychiatric practice, by construing psychiatric restraint as the medical cure of a mental disease” (218). Just like Joanna writes, psychiatrists think that putting the person under restraint psychologically restraint is the remedy, but the fact is, all it does is temporarily puts a hold on the problem without fixing it. Joanna further states how people adopted this thinking that psychological problem result from a chemical imbalance
The disorder which is being treated is actually strengthened to the point of a serious mental illness. Similarly, in today’s society, medical and psychological advice may have the same effect. Medical technology and practice have progressed considerably since the time of the “Yellow Wallpaper.” This is not to say that today’s physicians are infallible. Perhaps some of today’s treatments are the “Yellow Wallpaper” of the future.
As science has evolved, so have treatments for mental illnesses have over time. The medical model is described as the view that psychological disorders are medical diseases with a biological origin (King, 2010, pg. 413). Abnormal behavior that categorizes some disorders can be impacted by biological factors such as genes, psychological factors such as childhood experiences, and even sociocultural factors such as gender and race (King, 2010). Treatments such as psychosurgery (lobotomy) , drug therapy (pharmaceuticals), electroconclusive therapy, and psychoanalysis are used to treat a wide range of psychological disorders. Back then, the public’s negative views on mental illnesses also went as far to associate with the people who treated it; psychiatrists. “Nunnally (1961) found that the public evaluated professionals who treated mental disorders significantly more negatively than those who treat physical disorders,” (Phelan, Link, Stueve, & Pescosolido, 2000, pg. 189). People back then didn’t see the point in “paying to be told that they were crazy”. However, in today’s society, it is now acceptable to seek help from psychiatric professionals; we are seeing more and more people seek mental health treatment. “In terms of facility-based records of utilization (Manderscheid and Henderson 1998), the data suggest that the rate of utilization of professional mental health services has at least doubled and maybe tripled, between the 1950’s and today,” (Phelan, Link, Stueve, & Pescosolido, 2000, pg. 189). In the 1950’s, neuroleptic drugs like Thorazine were introduced to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia. These drugs block a neurotransmitter called dopamine from getting to the brain, which in turn reduce schizophrenic symptoms, however there are some side effects such as substantial twitching of the neck, arms, and legs, and even dysphoria or lack of pleasure. (King, 2010, pg.
According to Gamble and Brennan (2000), the effectiveness of medication for schizophrenia to relieve patients from psychotic symptoms is limited. Although patients have adequate medication, some received little or no benefit from it and almost half of them still experience psychotic symptoms. They are also more likely to suffer relapse (Gamble and Brennan, 2000). Furthermore, Valmaggia, et al. (2005) found that 50% of patients who fully adhere to anti-psychotic medication regimes still have ongoing positi...
One of the most startling things to me at the beginning of the Neurobiology and behavior course was learning about the existence of "reductionism." That is, those who do not believe there is a human soul or necessarily even a mind. Instead, as I understood it, reductionism says we are all a product of our neurons and the firings that take place in the brain and nervous system. Those scientists, from what we discussed, might claim that disorders that take place in human behavior (such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or even depression) are all functions of neurotransmitters and the firings of neurons in the brain. In order to cure ailments such as these, certain psychiatrists or doctors might rely heavily and solely on medication. This type of treatment is known as the pharmacotherapy approach, in which medication is the primary tool used for curing patients. However, this idea did not ring true as necessarily the best or only approach to human disorders, especially to a psyche major such as myself. I decided to then delve into the Internet to see people's views as well as actual statistics on which treatment, psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy, was indeed better. What I found was that a combination of the two seems to be the best bet in treating patients, and I will show evidence to support this as I talk about each topic individually, and then discuss their merits when used together. Also, in the scope of a paper such as this, I will look at both sides of the two treatments specifically for depression, since that is the best way to discuss specific statistics and for recovery. (3)
Psychiatry is one of the oldest medical methods; it is also the most exciting form of medicine. In 1812, Benjamin Rush, who was also a signer of the declaration of independence, published the first psychiatry text book in the United States (5). Recently, circa 2000s, an organization, American Psychiatric Press, is using its subsidiaries¬¬¬¬- the American Psychiatric Foundation, the American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education, and many more- to position the organization for a greater role of advocacy. (5)
In this chapter, I apply George Canguelhelm’s critique of positivism to a series of case studies demonstrating the theoretical and practical shortcomings of the chemical imbalance theory as a treatment modality for clinical depression. While the medical model in psychiatry suggests that reversing abnormal brain chemistry by pharmaceuticals corrects depressive symptoms, these case studies explicate Canguelhelm’s critique of the positivist quantity of “normal” as insufficient to account for an objective explanation of depressive pathology. Drawing on his conception of the pathological as a reduction of normativity rather than deviant of statistical normality, I attempt to preserve a holistic concept of depressive symptomatology necessitated by the reification of the chemical imbalance theory in psychiatry. The implications of this perspective as it pertains to the use of psychopharmaceuticals and alternative treatment modalities will be foregrounded and explored in chapter 5.
There are so many types of mental illnesses that affect people every day. When some people think of mental illnesses they think of the ones that would cause people to have physical symptoms as well, but that’s untrue, there are many more that you would never know anyone has if you were to see them on the street. As defined by the 2008 encyclopedia “a mental illness is any disease of the mind or brain that seriously affects a person’s ability or behavior. Symptoms of a mental illness may include extreme moods, such as excessive sadness or anxiety, or a decreased ability to think clearly or remember well.” A mentally ill person has severe symptoms that damage the person’s ability to function in everyday activities and situations. Every nation and every economic level can be affected by a mental illness. In the United States alone about 3% of the population has severe mental illness and to add to that number about 40% of people will experience a type of mental illness at least once in their lives. Some cases of mental illnesses can go away on their own, but some cases are so severe that they require professional treatment. There is so much more available to help people recover from their symptoms than in the past.
In the last fifty years, the treatment for mental disorders has come with a stigma. This stigma drives the reason why nearly half of the population goes misdiagnosed when it comes to mental disorders, and why only 19% of those diagnosed receive accurate and positive treatment. Psychotherapy, the most beneficial, popular, and best option of psychotherapy provides less risk and greater mental improvement to patients than most conventional methods, most importantly those of psychopharmacology. Pharmaceuticals, an easy solution that only solves the symptoms without solving the root of the problem, have continuous and sought after due to their ease of use. Albeit an easy and quick solution, they involve many risks, including mistreatment, further
As a result of research and advancements in biomedical science, psychotropic medications have become a primary tool in the holistic treatment of mental health concerns (Kaut & Dickinson, 2007). Education regarding psychopharmacology is now recommended for all mental health professionals in accordance with the ethical codes for the profession (King & Anderson, 2004). Counselors must also navigate their roles with regard to medication and client concerns carefully to avoid liability, while acting in the best interest of the client.
Schizophrenia is a common disease; it is a serious disorder of the mind and bran but is actually very treatable it actually ranks in the top 10 causes of disability in developed countries worldwide. Schizophrenia is a completely brain based disorder, that causes hallucinations, and affects multiple brain functions, like the thinking clearly, managing how you feel, making decisions and how to relate to other people. People with schizophrenia also have to face illusions daily, which are very vivid false beliefs, which might cause them to think that people are following them or looking directly at them. Schizophrenia is a horrible disorder for the majority of people who face it, and very can also be enormously costly for families and even society in general. Even though it is treatable there is no current cure for schizophrenia the only thing now is that it must be managed through therapy. There are over fifteen modern medications for that could treat schizophrenia that were developed by different biotechnology and pharmaceutical businesses. The costs from schizophrenia was estimated to be in the range of $61.7 billion, and $22.6 billion direct health care costs in 2011. The most accepted theory of why people have schizophrenia is that it’s result of a simply genetics from the environmental exposures and stress during pregnancy or childhood are what generally causes the disorder to form. Researchers note several key strand genes that when damaged seem to create a pre problem or increase for the risk of schizophrenia. The genes, in mixture with known environmental exponentials are thought to be the reason that it is a result in schizophrenia. The genes that are projected to enhance the risk of obtaining schizophrenia are the Dysbin...
Mental disorders affect millions of people around the world, and it is the greatest untreated group of illnesses in the world. Many of the psychological disease are incurable only treatable or suppressed. There is very little research going into mental disorders due to the l...
All forms of psychopathology—from mild depression to severe schizophrenia—have had a complex, if not contradictory relationship with the public and even those considered experts in the field. After compiling research through both secondary sources and primary sources, there was an obvious sense of discourse between what was right and what was wrong, even within the basic idea of what designates someone as suffering or not suffering from psychopathology. As a result, it seems much less that there are experts in the field of psychopathology, but rather are experts in the field of theorizing about psychopathology. Such a claim does not discredit those who have studied psychopathology and are deemed experts, such as Dr. Thomas Widiger or Dr. R.J.R. Blair. They have, after all, dedicated their lives to the understanding of psychopathology, but it can be argued that complete understanding of the field can never be truly reached due to the subjectivity of it.
Doward, J. (2013), Medicine's big new battleground: does mental illness really exist? The Observer 12 May.
There are people in this world that have a problem understanding the difference between what is real and what is unreal. Most of us think that is just silly and childlike, but it is a reality for about 51 million Americans (Coon). These people suffer from schizophrenia, a psychosis characterized by delusions, hallucinations, apathy, and a “split” between thought and emotion (Coon). Schizophrenic suffers my show inappropriate emotions to certain situations. They laugh at the death of a loved one, or show no emotion also known as flat affect to news of happiness. To an onlooker they may appear to be crazy, rude or even mentally disturbed. Unfortunately schizophrenic suffers have to deal with these judgments, when they don’t understand why they are getting these reactions. Schizophrenia comes in more than one form. There is disorganized schizophrenia, Catatonic schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenia and undifferentiated schizophrenia.
A person’s first option when they seek stability in health is to go to a physician. Patients put all of their trust on prescribed drugs that will supposedly treat their diseases. Trusting a doctor seems to be an unaware habit with the reasons being the title they hold on to and the experience they’ve gained throughout their career. They’re recognized for their purpose in serving and modifying the well-being of the patients. With this in mind, there has been a continuous amount of outbursts in mental illnesses. The number of outbursts has increased immensely, especially in the past decades. Psychiatric drugs have been a major controversial issue relating to the development of mental illness. Groups suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity