Starter Recap the three assumptions of the biological approach on your mini-whiteboard.

For this therapy you need to be able to... Drug Therapy Biological Therapy EXAM CORNER For this therapy you need to be able to... Describe how the assumptions of the approach are applied in the therapy. Describe the main components (principles) of the therapy Evaluate the therapy in terms of effectiveness Evaluate the therapy in terms of ethical considerations

Learning Objectives To understand a biological therapy (drugs). Success Criteria Make notes in your booklet about the action of three drugs. Create a cartoon strip for how drugs work in the body. Challenge Attempt a practice question on drug therapy.

Chemotherapy is a term used to describe the use of psychoactive drugs to treat mental disorders. The word psychoactive means to treat a psychological instead of a physical condition. In 2009 a ¼ of all drugs prescribed by the NHS were psychoactive drugs.

How does the biological approach apply to drug therapy? The aim of drugs to return the body to a normal level of functioning caused by a disorder like depression, schizophrenia or anxiety which had made an imbalance. Another assumption of the biological approach is that changes in the brain’s neurotransmitter systems will affect our mood, feelings, perceptions and behaviour. Therefore, psychotherapeutic drugs can be used to alter the action of neurotransmitters and treat mental disorder. In general, drug therapy operates by increasing or blocking the action of neurotransmitters in the brain. Drugs also work by targeting regions of the brain associated with mental disorder. For example, the limbic system regulates emotions, and disturbances in this part of the brain may affect mood.

Antipsychotic drugs

Antipsychotic drugs Used to treat mental disorders, e.g. schizophrenia. They will have lost touch with reality and has little insight into their condition. Conventional antipsychotics are used to combat the positive symptoms of schizophrenia (e.g. delusions and hallucinations). The drug blocks the action of dopamine by binding to (but not stimulating) the dopamine receptor. Atypical antipsychotic drugs temporarily occupy the dopamine receptor and then rapidly dissociating to allow normal dopamine transmission. This leads to lower side effects.

Antidepressant drugs

Antidepressant drugs Depression is thought to be because of a lack of serotonin in nerve endings (synapse). Antidepressants work by reducing the rate of neurotransmitters being reabsorbed into nerve endings or by blocking the enzymes which break the neurotransmitters down. These methods increase the amount of neurotransmitters available to excite neighbouring nerve cells. The most common antidepressants are SSRIs – these block the transporters that absorbs serotonin, increasing the level in the synapse.

Antianxiety drugs

Antianxiety drugs Used to treat stress and anxiety. E.g. Benzodiazepines (BZs) – these slow down the activity in the CNS. GABA is the body’s natural calming neurotransmitter. BZs bind to the sites on GABA receptors and enhance the action of GABA. Serotonin has an arousing effect – BZs reduce the increased activity associated with anxiety.

Beta-Blockers (BBs)

Beta-Blockers (BBs) Beta-Blockers (BBs) reduce the activity of adrenaline and noradrenaline which are part of the sympathomedullary response to stress. These do not enter the brain, instead BBs bind to the receptors in the heart and other parts of the body that are stimulated during arousal This reduces the activity of the autonomic nervous system associated with arousal, i.e. reducing heart-rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels. There is therefore less stress on the heart and the person feels calmer and less anxious. These are sometimes used by snooker + darts players and musicians to reduce the negative effects on their performance.

Practice Questions Demonstrate how a biological assumption has been used in either drugs OR psychosurgery. [10] Apply your knowledge of the assumptions of the biological and behaviourist approaches to explain addiction to gambling. [8]

Homework Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2efaHgJ93A&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOPRKzVLY0jJY-uHOH9KVU6&index=36 Check Weebly for the link 