Mental Health Lecture 9/ Dr Alan Gow

 Treating mental health has its origins in very strange rituals and remedies. For
example, Trepanning, drilling a hole into someone’s head and hoping the demons
drip out. Developed independently in different cultures.
 The Greeks came up with the humoral theory- the imbalance lead to sickness and
mental disorders
 ‘Utter Bedlam’ chaos, insanity, an insane asylum- a past time for upper middle class
people. Wherein people were made to sit in tranquilising chair- this was about
control not care or treatment
 Philippe Pinel- thought bedlam was wrong- tried to reduce about of patient being
restrained- thus he broke the vicious cycle of being locked up again- they re-
integrated into society
Treatments: ECT, Lobotomy, SSRIs, Antipsychotics, Therapy
Psychopharmacology
• “study of drug effects on psychological states and symptoms”
 Antipsychotic medications: May block dopamine receptors in mesolimbic areas —
associated with positive symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, Changed
the way schizophrenia was managed Work well for positive symptoms but not
negative
 Atypical antipsychotics: Appear to affect both dopamine and serotonin receptors,
Work on both positive and negative symptoms, Unpleasant antipsychotic drug side
effects include tardive dyskinesia - Involuntary facial and other movements
 Anti‐anxiety medications “drugs that help reduce a person’s experience of fear or
anxiety”, Facilitate action of GABA, Produce calming effect by inhibiting certain
neurons
 Antidepressants “class of drugs that help lift people’s mood”. Commonly prescribed
drugs include: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), Tricyclic antidepressants,
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs)
 Psychotherapy
• “an interaction between a therapist and someone suffering from a psychological
problem, with the goal of providing support or relief from the problem”

1. Psychodynamic therapy- Exploring childhood events and relationship to adult concerns

and behaviours and Psychoanalysis
2. Behaviour therapy- Applying principles of learning to change problems, Aversion
therapy- Eliminating unwanted behaviours — positive punishment, Promoting desired
behaviours- Token economy, Reducing unwanted emotional responses, Exposure
therapy, Systematic desensitization and Virtual reality therapy
3. Cognitive therapy - Emphasizes the ‘meaning’ of an event
4.

 Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

 Light therapy
 Lobotomy
Mental Health Lecture 9/ Dr Alan Gow

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