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Psychology · Chapter 14

Biomedical Therapy: Matching Drug to Disorder

Biomedical (biological) therapies treat psychological disorders by acting on the body and brain. Most often they use psychotropic drugs, which change how certain neurotransmitters work at the synapse. Pick a drug class, then switch between Without the drug and With the drug to see what changes at the synapse and which disorder it treats.

Pick a drug class

Each class nudges a different neurotransmitter. That choice is what matches the drug to a disorder.
Five drug classestap one to see what it treats
What counts as biomedical therapy?This approach changes brain chemistry to change symptoms. Besides drugs, it includes electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for severe depression and newer brain stimulation methods such as TMS. Drugs are by far the most common. Each class targets a certain neurotransmitter. Only a licensed prescriber should start, stop, or change any of these drugs.