Psychiatric disorders - Assignment Example

Psychiatric Disorders Psychiatric disorders have been of interest since the Ancient Greeks and Romans. As medical science has progressed, we have learned more about the biology of what creates abnormalities in behavior. In some cases, surgical techniques have been developed in order to fix these problems. In psychiatry, the focus on treating patients with clinical disorders is though the use of psychopharmacology as a way of treating chemical imbalances in the brain that causes these disorders.

Schizophrenia is a clinical disorder in which a patient is afflicted by disorganized cognitive patterns as well as hallucinations that can occur over the range of sensations (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The basis behind this is that there is a neurochemical imbalance in the brain that is believed to be an inherent genetic trait. As a result, this imbalance is what causes the abnormal behavior. Schizophrenia has also been known to be associated with a host of anxiety disorders as well as major cases of depression.

Although multiple types of therapy have shown to help out with the symptoms of schizophrenia, the most commonly used method of treatment is the use of pharmacology in order to help correct the imbalance that is occurring. Antipsychotics designed for interacting with the dopamine reward systems are the most commonly used.Depression is a cognitively based disorder that affects many people around the world. This is associated with long periods of extreme sadness that translate into problems that inhibit the daily functionality of life.

Some symptoms can be changes in eating patterns, changes in sleeping patterns, as well as drug abuse (DSM-IV-TR). In most cases, different types of therapy are used in order to assess the damage that occurred in the person’s life that led them to depression. CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy, is the most commonly effective form of talking therapy (Corey, 2009). In extreme cases, SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are used in order to regulate mood at the biochemical level.Mania is a condition, which is usually associated with bipolar disorder.

During periods of mania, a person experiences levels of high, sometimes uncontrollable, bursts of energy. In some extreme cases, a person can enter a psychotic episode. In people with Bipolar disorder, there are fluctuations between periods of low energy and periods of high energy (DSM-IV-TR). This is due to disequilibrium in neurotransmitter levels; therefore psychotropic medication is the most commonly used form of treatment. Medications have been designed to inhibit the amount of serotonin in the synapses, which creates the elevated mood conditions.

Another common disorder, which is found across many cultures in the world are anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders exist across a wide spectrum of biological and psychological conditions such as chemical imbalances and phobias (DSM-IV-TR). For phobias, the most common form of therapy used is behavioral modification in order for the client to explore the irrationality of the condition. This usually employs techniques such as operant conditioning, flooding, systematic desensitization, etc (Corey, 2009).

For other anxiety disorders, such as General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), medication is used in order to help alleviate the negative feelings felt toward a particular stimulus.Lastly, Tourette’s syndrome is a psychiatric disorder that is associated with tics, or repeated patterns of behavior. These behaviors can range from motions that are barely noticeable to violent outbursts. This disorder is most commonly occurs in childhood and carries on into adulthood. There is no effective treatment for the tics or other associated symptoms of the disorder, however therapy and medication can be used to lessen the severity and frequency in which the tics occur.

This is a biologically rooted condition. Psychologists and psychiatrists work hand in hand in treating both biologically and environmentally rooted disorders. Sometimes, one treatment is more effective than others. Most of the time a combination of both techniques is used in order to combine to have the maximum effectiveness. Further research is done everyday in order to understand the complete connection between the role that neurochemistry plays in the brain and how external stimuli might prevent/cause psychological disorders.

ReferencesAmerican Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., Text Revision). Washington, DC: Author.Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy . Belmont, CA: Thompson Higher Education.