Outline the Use and Mode of Action of two biological (somatic) therapies (15 marks)

these were more precise in their functions and so caused less side effects. Although, they tended to have a sedative effect and still had problems with increased dependency and tolerance. Anti-depressant drugs are used to alleviate the mood and reduce panic in anxious patients. They may also be prescribed for treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Agoraphobia, panic attacks, eating disorders (particularly Bulimia Nervosa) and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Anti-depressant drugs increase the supply of neurotransmitters. There is a wide range of anti-depressant drugs which are effective. Some examples are; Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) which increase levels of noradrenalin and serotonin in the Nervous System. Tricyclics (TCAs) prevent some neurotransmitters being reabsorbed. Selective Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors prevent reuptake of serotonin and increases levels in the Synaptic Cleft. However, there are some side effects such as nervousness, rashes, fatigue and many more. Antipsychotic drugs are used most commonly to treat schizophrenia. There are four main types of them, Phenothiazines, which calm psychotic symptoms but can cause Parkinson’s disease and Tardive Dyskenesia, Butyrophenones and Thioxanthenes reduce positive symptoms (such as delusions etc) but have little effect on negative (type II) symptoms (social withdrawl etc), Atypical drugs are more effective and seem to help with type II symptoms and do not produce Tradive Dyskenesia although are very expensive and can lead to problems with white blood cells, and Olanzapine, which does not effect white blood cells. Side effects from Anti-psychotic drugs include; sedation, lack of concentration, problems with salivation and blurred vision. Anti-manic drugs are used to treat manic depression. The main drug used is Lithium Carbonate which decreases levels of noradrenalin and serotonin either by stimulating uptake or preventing release. This stabilises cell membranes and reduces transmission in the nervous system. This stabilises mood over long period of time. Side effects include; adverse effects on the CNS, Cardiovascular system and Digestive system. An overdose can be fatal. Another method of biological therapy is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) which has its origins in the observation that epileptics rarely suffered from schizophrenia and so it was thought that the seizures prevented schizophrenia. In older techniques, a strong current was passed for about half a second between two electrodes attached to each side of the patient’s forehead. In more recent techniques it is applied unilaterally, through the non-dominant hemisphere of the brain. Anaesthetics and muscle relaxants are also administered prior to the treatment. In the past the treatment was more violent and often brought about broken bones and bruising, today the whole treatment is a lot more humane. Convulsions last for a maximum of two minutes and are only visible as a slight twitching in facial muscles and toes. ECT is used for the treatment of depressives and as ECT is fast-acting it is often used on suicidal cases. No-one really knows why it works as well as it does but one theory is that it “resets all the programmes” quickly and provides the same action as drugs but faster. It is also thought to bring about biochemical changes and somehow, appears to alter neurotransmitter levels.