How it works: the science
What type of treatment uses medications to change brain chemistry and improve symptoms?
What is drug therapy (or psychopharmacology)?
What class of drugs was one of the first major breakthroughs for treating depression?
What are antidepressants?
What type of medication is commonly used to reduce symptoms of anxiety quickly?
What are anti-anxiety medications?
What therapy uses controlled electrical currents passed through the brain to treat severe depression?
What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?
What early and now controversial procedure involved removing or destroying parts of the brain?
What is a lobotomy?
What brain chemicals are targeted by many medications to affect mood, anxiety, and behavior?
What are neurotransmitters?
What type of medication helped reduce hallucinations and delusions in disorders like schizophrenia?
What are antipsychotic medications?
What is one reason biomedical therapies are often combined with psychotherapy?
What is to improve overall effectiveness of treatment?
What newer brain stimulation method uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific brain areas?
What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?
What was one major problem with early biomedical treatments like lobotomies?
What is severe side effects (or brain damage)?
What is the general goal of biomedical therapies when treating psychological disorders?
What is changing the brain function to reduce symptoms?
What modern treatment uses electrical stimulation to treat severe depression when other treatments fail?
What is electroconvulsive therapy? (ECT)
What is a limitation of many psychiatric medications that can affect whether people continue taking them?
What are side effects?
What is one reason brain stimulation therapies are used when other treatments do not work?
What is treatment-resistant conditions (or disorders)?
What is one reason these harmful treatments were used in the past despite risks?
What is lack of scientific knowledge (or limited treatment options)?