BIOLOGICAL THEORIES

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BIOLOGICAL THEORIES
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TREATMENT
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• BEFORE LOBOTOMY, SHOCK, COMA - NOW DRUGS
• CHANGE NEUROCHEMISTRY OF BRAIN
• ELEVATE OR LOWER LEVELS OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN
  SYNAPSES AND WHAT RECEPTORS ABSORB

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TREATMENTS

• ANTI-PSYCHOTICS
• LITHIUM FOR BIPOLAR
• PHENOTHIAZINES AND CLOZAPINE FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA
• ILLNESS SPECIFIC

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SSRIS

• SELECTIVE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS - PROZAC,
  PAXIL, XOLOFT (LATE 1980S)
• UNLIKE OLDER DRUGS ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO
  PREVENT REUPTAKE OF SEROTONIN
• NOT ILLNESS SPECIFIC (NOT ANTI-DEPRESSANTS)

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HUGH GROWTH
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HUGE GROWTH

• 10 OF ADULT POPULATION NOW TAKING AN SSRI
• 300 INCREASE IN PAST 10 YEARS IN NUMBER OF
  CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS TAKING MEDICATION

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ARE SSRIS BETTER?

• NOT MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OLDER DRUGS
• FEWER NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS (ALTHOUGH POSSIBLY
  MORE SUICIDE RISK)
• NOT ADDICTING
• LESS RISK OF OVERDOSE

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DOWNSIDE OF SSRIS

• NOT MUCH BETTER THAN PLACEBOS FOR LESS SEVERE
  CONDITIONS
• LONG-TERM EFFECTS?
• ONLY ELIMINATE SYMPTOMS, NOT UNDERLYING PROBLEM?
• MAKE PEOPLE ADJUST TO STATUS QUO?

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STRENGTHS AND LIMITS
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STRENGTHS OF BIOLOGY

• BEST FOR PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS
• MORE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BRAIN
• ADVANCES IN DRUG TREATMENTS FOR MANY CONDITIONS

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LIMITATIONS
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1. OVERSTATEMENTS

• MOST CONVINCING FOR PSYCHOSES
• LESS EVIDENCE FOR OTHERS
• ARE CHEMICAL IMBALANCES CAUSES OR EFFECTS?

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2. GENES NOT DESTINY

• ONLY A MINORITY OF PEOPLE WITH GENETIC
  SUSCEPTIBILITY DEVELOP DISORDER
• OFTEN NEED ENVIRONMENTAL PRECIPITANT
• ENVIRONMENT CAN SUPPRESS - MORMONS AND ALCOHOLISM

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3. WHAT DOES A GENE DO?

• DIFFERENCE OF GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE (APPEARANCE)
• E.G. ANOREXIA
• CULTURE CAN SHAPE PHENOTYPE
• GENES MAY HAVE GENERAL, NOT SPECIFIC, EFFECTS

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4. MOST M.I. NOT GENETIC

• MOST PEOPLE WHO GET A DISORDER DO NOT HAVE
  GENETIC PROPENSITY TO THE DISORDER

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SCHIZ. IN DENMARK

• THOSE WITH 1ST DEGREE RELATIVES HAVE 10x RATE OF
  SCHIZ
• BUT 90 OF PEOPLE WHO DO GET SCHIZ HAVE NO SCHIZ
  RELATIVES
• FAR MORE PEOPLE HAVE NO FAMILY HISTORY OF SCHIZ
  SO DESPITE LOWER PRODUCE MORE CASES