Psychological Disorders and Drug Treatment: Anxiety Disorder and Tourette's Syndrome

Like depression, anxiety is common in today’s society, however, when it becomes intolerable and lingers for inexplicable reasons; it is classed as an anxiety disorder. Physiological symptoms of anxiety disorders are rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure and sleeping issues such as insomnia. Coping with symptoms of anxiety disorder can be extremely distressing and exhausting, so a suitable drug treatment in conjunction with psychological therapy is often necessary to maintain some sense of stability.

There are different types of anxiety disorders; some are generalized, meaning there is no obvious reason for the feelings of anxiousness, and phobic disorder which is a more specified anxiety and produces a fear of certain things or situations. For example, someone which arachnophobia has an extreme fear of spiders, more so than the usual apprehension most people feel.

Panic disorders are also relatively common, and can occur with either generalized or phobic disorders. Panic attacks cause the overwhelming fear that something drastic may happen, despite no evidence of any threat. Coping mechanisms can be developed to help ease the severity of panic attacks. Episodes often manifest without warning and can have debilitating effects.

People who suffer from panic attacks have been known to leave full grocery carts in the aisle of a supermarket and promptly leave, for fear that something terrible will happen to them and nobody will know how to provide the help they need. Although this is a coping mechanism, it is maladaptive, and has been known to cause the onset of agoraphobia, another anxiety disorder. The agoraphobic sufferer will eventually become housebound for fear of leaving and entering an unsafe environment.

Like other disorders, anxiety disorders are also thought to have genetic links. Oftentimes, no genetic predisposition is evident, and panic disorder may seem to be triggered by a traumatic event. It could however, be a combination of both factors.

There are two suitable drug treatments for anxiety disorders; benzodiazepines and serotonin agonists (Pinel, 2007, p.495). Benzodiazepines are effective, although they produce a sedative effect and are not recommended for the long term. Buspirone is a serotonin agonist and does not produce the sedative effect, although it has been known to cause sleeping problems and nausea (Pinel, 2007, p.495). Interestingly, the SSRIs used to treat depression are commonly used for treating anxiety disorders, and are found to be very effective.

Tourette Syndrome

Tourette syndrome is said to develop in childhood, and is recognizable by the demonstration of repetitious ticks, gestures, or sounds produced by the sufferer. There seems to be no control over these tics, and they can and do occur at inappropriate times. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Tourette is also known to co-exist with other disorders, and can also affect children with ADHD (NIMH, n.d., para 6). The repetitious behavior displayed in Tourette patients is also similar to obsessive compulsive disorder, and is often co-existent.

Tourette syndrome is a brain disorder, and as it develops over time, it usually becomes more pronounced. Even though Tourette resembles other disorders, not much is known about its cause. It is difficult to test a patient via imaging studies because involuntary tics make research problematic (Pinel, 2007, p.499).

Fortunately, some Tourette patients can suppress their tics, but trying to do so for extended periods of time produces anxiety. Like schizophrenia, D2 receptor blockers are also used to alleviate the tics associated with Tourette. According to Pinel (2007), “The current hypothesis is that Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that results from excessive dopaminergic innervation of the striatum and the associated limbic cortex (p.499).

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1994), “there is a high incidence of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in individuals with Tourette’s Disorder, with estimates ranging from 35% to50%” (p.419). Interestingly, the reverse is not true, with only a minor incidence of Tourette in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder patients.

Although research is extensive, there is still much to be learned about the causes and developmental aspects of many psychological disorders. Animals do not always present with symptoms similar to a disorder, and so testing for treatments can sometimes be impossible. Ironically, some of the causes of disorders, and the drugs used to treat them have been discovered accidentally. Fortunately, when such wonderful accidents occur, links are often discovered which can help in the development and treatment of various other disorders and diseases.

Reference

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Fourth Edition. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1994.

National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). What conditions can coexist with ADHD? Retrieved April 2009, from National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/what-conditions-can-coexist-with-adhd.shtml

Pinel, J. P. J. (2007). Basics of biopsychology. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.