Drug Therapy
Since the emergence of antipsychotics in the 1950s, drug therapy has become a more and more popular mode of treatment for mental illness. Although our knowledge of drugs' effects on the biochemistry of the brain has improved greatly since the development of the "talking cure," psychiatric medication is still far from perfect. Different medication has been developed for different illnesses, but that is about as far as the fine-tuning has gotten. They can come with a myriad of side effects, depending on the person, and do not treat the root of the problem. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) states that "Medications treat the symptoms of mental disorders. They cannot cure the disorder, but they make people feel better so they can function."
Antipsychotics were the of the first to become popularized in use. They are used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They are separated into drugs developed in the 1950s--typical antipsychotics, and those developed in the 1990s--atypical antipsychotics. An example of a typical antipsychotic is lithium, used to treat bipolar disorder as a mood stabilizer. Many patients have been found unable to handle this medication. Additionally, it has broken through into pop culture as a medication that most psychos take. A particularly poignant example is Patrick Bateman, the serial killer with malignant personality disorder in the film American Psycho. An atypical antipsychotic is clozapine, used to treat hallucination and breaks with reality--common symptoms of schizophrenia. Clozapine is an effective drug but has a dangerous side effect: it kills white blood cells, an effect called agranulocytosis. This results in a weakened immune system in the patient, and they must go get their white blood cell checked often enough for it to be an inconvenience for most, in regards to both time and money. Generally antipsychotics have many other possible side effects including drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision, and skin rashes (detailed on the NIMH website, the link of which can be found in Resources). Typical and atypical antipsychotics also have their own side effects, some of which, such as weight gain by atypical antipsychotics, can create future health concerns. Taking typical antipsychotics cause symptoms of muscle rigidity, which could eventually lead to tardive dyskinesia (TD), a chronic condition which the patient loses some muscle control. It can be mild or severe, curable or incurable, and may or may not go away after the patient is taken off medication.
Antidepressants are used to treat symptoms of depression and sometimes anxiety disorder. Depression is often caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain--specifically the chemicals serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Each neurotransmitter is responsible for many of our daily function such as sleep, appetite, and mood (serotonin) and ability to determine motivation and reward (norepinephrine and dopamine). Any kind of imbalance of these chemicals, levels that are too high or too low, can lead to depression and/or other mental illnesses. People with depression have been found to have low levels or serotonin communication. The categories of drug used to treat this are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Although they do not cause as many side effects older categories of antidepressants, they can still cause nausea, drowsiness, headache, and agitation. Older category antidepressants are still prescribed to some people because they treat their brand of symptoms more effectively, but they also come with most of the side effects for SSRIs and SNRIs plus constipation, bladder problems, and risks in eating certain foods that contain certain disagreeable chemicals.
Stimulants are usually used as medication for ADHD, attention deficit disorder. These types of medication are most often prescribed to children and can create side effects such as decreased appetite, sleeping problems, stomachache, and headache. There is also a possibility of the child/patient developing erratic tics or experiencing a change in demeanor. Studies have shown that stimulants increase risks factors for strokes, heart attacks and sudden death. More rarely patients develop psychotic symptoms similar to those characterizing schizophrenia. Because of these risks strict guidelines have been imposed on the prescription and manufacturing of ADHD medication.
Psychiatric medication comes is a trade off. Because they treat the symptoms and not the problem, individuals will likely have to take some dosage for a long period of time. Additionally, they must deal with the side effects of such medication. Often patients can't handle the side effects well, particularly those on antipsychotics, and some even feel it becomes as much of a burden as their mental illness. The medication is relatively crude, as its aim is to manipulate the intricacies of the human hormonal chemistry. Everyone's chemical system is different, so it is very easy to give the wrong dosage or wrong type of medication to a particularly person, causing them great difficulty. Such a factor becomes extremely dangerous when an individual stops taking the medication because of its side effects--or even because they believe they are better and do not need drugs. Actions like these can cause relapses and significant pain--even danger--for the individual and those around them. They contribute to stigma of mental illness as a consequence.
Other methods of treatment include psychoanalytic therapy, behavior therapy, rational motive therapy, and group therapy
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