Treating Mental Illness Bittu Majmudar September 25, 2007 Neuroethics
Treating Mental Illness
Bittu Majmudar
September 25, 2007
Neuroethics
Categories of Mental Illness
• Anxiety Disorders– Generalized Anxiety Disorder– Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD)– Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
(OCD)– Panic Disorder– Social Anxiety Disorder– Specific Phobias
• Mood Disorders– Depression– Mania– Bipolar Disorder (Manic
Depression)
Categories of Mental Illness
• Psychotic Disorders – Schizophrenia
• Eating Disorders– Anorexia Nervosa– Bulimia Nervosa
• Impulse Control & Addiction Disorders– Pyromania (starting fires)– Kleptomania (stealing)– Compulsive Gambling
Categories of Mental Illness
• Personality Disorders– Antisocial Personality Disorder– Obsessive-Compulsive
Personality Disorder– Paranoid Personality Disorder
• Adjustment Disorder• Dissociative Disorders
– Dissociative Identity Disorder– Depersonalization Disorder
• Somatoform Disorders• Tic Disorders
– Tourette Syndrome
Mental Health Care Practitioners
• Psychiatrist– medical doctor
• Psychologist – master’s or doctoral degree
• Psychiatric Social Worker – specialized training in
psychotherapy
• Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse – training in behavioral health
Mental Health Care Practitioners
• Psychoanalyst– any of the previous with training
in psychoanalysis
• Mental Health Counselor– licensed professional counselors
• Pastoral Counselor– additional religious or
theological training
• Psychotherapist– general practitioner that
provides mental health care
Treatments & Therapies
• Drug Therapy• Electroconvulsive Therapy
(ECT)• Psychotherapy
– Supportive Psychotherapy– Psychoanalysis– Psychodynamic Psychotherapy– Cognitive Therapy– Behavior Therapy (Exposure
Therapy)– Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
(Dialectical Behavior Therapy)– Group / Interpersonal Therapy
Treatments & Therapies
• Biomedical Treatment• Spiritual Treatment• Self-Help Treatment• Holistic Treatments
– Yoga / Meditation
• Alternative Treatments– Acupuncture– Biofeedback– Hypnosis / Dream
Interpretation– Magnetic Stimulation Therapy
Drug Therapy• Depression
– tricyclics: imipramine, desipramine– monoamine oxidase inhibitors
(MAOIs)– selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs): fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram
– new: bupropion
• Schizophrenia– antipsychotic (neuroleptic)
medications: clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine
Drug Therapy• Bipolar Disorder
– antimanic medications: lithium – antidepressants– anticonvulsants: valproic acid,
carbamazepine, topiramate
• ADD / ADHD– stimulant medications:
amphetamine, methylphenidate
– non-stimulant medications: atomoxetine
Drug Therapy• Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder– buspirone, propranolol– antianxiety medications:
benzodiazepines– antidepressant medications:
fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
• severe depression accompanied by psychosis, suicidal intent, or refusal to eat
• mania that does not improve with medications
• schizophrenia when symptoms are severe or medications aren’t enough
Psychotherapy
• depression• bipolar disorder• personality disorders• dissociative disorders• anxiety disorders• impulse control & addiction
disorders
Questions to Contemplate…
• What criteria should be used to define mental illness and abnormal v. normal behavior?
• Does refusal to accept treatment indicate a lack of decision-making capacity?
• At what point is informed consent inapplicable and involuntary treatment necessary?