PS280 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Psychiatric Medication, Benzodiazepine, Anxiolytic
Document Summary
Management of anxiety disorders often includes medication but psychological interventions have received tremendous empirical support. When considering both short and long-term outcomes, exposure-based behavioural interventions and cbt are most effective treatments for anxiety disorders. Before development of antidepressants, benzodiazepines were most widely prescribed psychiatric medication (minor tranquilizers that prodive rapid, short term relief from physiological sumptoms of acute anxiety) Benzos bind to receptor sites for gaba (brain"s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter), which functions to teporally inhibit activity broadly across neural sites, incl brain systems that are involved in generating fear and anxiety. Gaba is involved to some extent in all cognitive, affective and behavioural functions thus benzos have side effects incl psyhomotor and cognitive impairments. Thus benzos are most used for temporary relif of subjective distress associated w infrequently encountered anxiety-provoking situtations and are less suitable as long-term treatment, esp bc they have significant addictive potential. Patients find anxiety symptoms return worsened after discontinuing benzos after long-term use.
