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

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

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

HUGH GROWTH

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

ARE SSRI’S BETTER? NOT MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OLDER DRUGS FEWER NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS (ALTHOUGH POSSIBLY MORE SUICIDE RISK) NOT ADDICTING LESS RISK OF OVERDOSE

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

STRENGTHS OF BIOLOGY BEST FOR PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS MORE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BRAIN ADVANCES IN DRUG TREATMENTS FOR MANY CONDITIONS

1. OVERSTATEMENTS MOST CONVINCING FOR PSYCHOSES LESS EVIDENCE FOR OTHERS ARE CHEMICAL IMBALANCES CAUSES OR EFFECTS?

2. GENES NOT DESTINY ONLY A MINORITY OF PEOPLE WITH GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY DEVELOP DISORDER OFTEN NEED ENVIRONMENTAL PRECIPITANT ENVIRONMENT CAN SUPPRESS - MORMONS AND ALCOHOLISM

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

4. MOST M.I. NOT GENETIC MOST PEOPLE WHO GET A DISORDER DO NOT HAVE GENETIC PROPENSITY TO THE DISORDER

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