Treating Disorders — Biomedical, Psychological, and Sociocultural Approaches

Just as disorders have multiple causes, they can be addressed through multiple kinds of treatment. The main approaches map onto the levels of explanation already discussed: biomedical treatments target the body and brain, psychological treatments target thoughts and behaviour, and sociocultural or group approaches target the person's relationships and social environment. A central practical question is which treatment, or combination, best fits a given disorder and individual.

Biomedical treatment most commonly means drug therapy. For depression, the best-known medications are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine, which increase the availability of serotonin at the synapse by blocking its reabsorption. SSRIs are widely prescribed because they are relatively s