New York University Schizophrenia and Mental Health Discussion
Description
Peer responses.
Peer # 1 Bonnie
Schizophrenia can cause impairment and could be chronic in most cases, so treatment for this condition is crucial. Because each person is different and responds differently to various treatments, the most effective way to treat this condition is to combine antipsychotic medications with psychosocial approaches. Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic in terms of managing and treating schizophrenia. This drug is approximately 30% effective in controlling schizophrenic episodes in treatment-resistant patients, compared with a 4% efficacy rate with the combination of chlorpromazine and benztropine (NCBI).
For most people with schizophrenia, the combination of psychopharmacological and psychosocial interventions improves outcomes. These involve family intervention, supported employment, assertive community treatment, skills training, and (CBT). I believe CBT would be a better way to treat schizophrenia as opposed to Clozapine. The reason why I say this is because of the side effects associated with Clozapine such as an increase in serum sodium concentrations that increases risks of hypotension and adverse effects which causes seizures. CBT is used as a promising treatment that is not controlled by medications and side effects. Studies have shown CBT to be a positive approach in the treatment of acute schizophrenia patients and more effective in symptom control than routine care (Tarrier et al).
References
Chien, W. T., Leung, S. F., & Wong, W. K. (2013). Current approaches to treatments for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, part ll: psychosocial interventions and patient-focused perspectives in psychiatric care. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 9, 1463-1481. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S49263
Lehman, A. F., Buchanan, R. W., Dickerson, F. B., Dixon, L. B., Goldberg, R., Green-Paden, L., & Kreyenbuhl, J. (2003). Evidence-based treatment for schizophrenia: The Psychiatric clinics of North America, 26(4), 939-954.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0193-953x(03)00070-4
Peer #2 Krista
The disorder I chose was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Over the last several years, this disorder has started to gain some attention and mention and naturally, some people deny its existence, while others cling to the belief that every situation is traumatic, from chipping a nail to getting cut off in traffic.
Based on the information I found, two of the most effective treatments for PTSD are antidepressants and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective treatment for PTSD. CBT usually involves meeting with a therapist weekly for up to four months. The two most effective types of CBT for PTSD are Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE). (National Center for PTSD, 2015.)
I have always thought the concept of CBT was interesting because of how they describe it as retraining your brain. When someones brain has been affected by trauma to the point that it is hard for them to perform daily life activities, having the skills to stop and look at the situation to re-frame it and recognize it as not being a threat would be a huge blessing.
Resources:
National Center for PTSD. (2015). Effective Treatments for PTSD: Consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as First Line Treatment. 66_PTSD_NCPTSD_Provider_Effective_Treatment_for_PTSD.pdf (va.gov)
Peer #3 Emma
The behavioral disorder I have selected is premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). PMDD is a dysregulation of serotonin that affects a womans mood, interest in activities, appetite, and sleep schedule, among more, and affects about 5% of all menstruating women (Pearlstein & Steiner, 2008). One evidence-based treatment (EBT) for PMDD is psychotropic agents, more specifically serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) or benzodiazepines (BZDs). Antidepressants that largely affect noradrenergic transmission are not as beneficial for PMDD as SRIs, thus the effect of SRIs in PMDD is not just an antidepressant effect (Mishra et al., 2020). In addition, BZDs have only been found effective in women with severe anxiety and premenstrual insomnia. To note, the author also explains that medical care providers can use SRIs and BZDs occasionally from mid-cycle to menses to treat symptoms of PMDD as opposed to continuous treatment.
I agree with SRIs and BZDs as a form of treatment for PMDD because of the hormonal regulation that is needed for the disorder. While there are other non-pharmacological methods, such as exercise and diet modification, that may help with PMDD, none may be as effective as mood regulators such as SRIs and BZDs. It is the patients choice to decide if she would like to take medication, as more and more women are choosing holistic paths for natural regulation.
Mishra, S., Elliott, H., & Marwaha, R. (2020). Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532307/
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