Biological/ drug therapy (treatment) Flashcards
What are drug therapies?
taken as tablet or syrup
for those who fail to regularly take medicine it can be given in shot form every 2-4 weeks
can be required in the short or long term
some can take a short course then stop without a return of symptoms
others may require to take them for life or it mat return
Explain typical antipsychotics
they’re tied to the dopamine hypothesis
they reduce positive symptoms e.g., hallucinations and delusions
Why are typical antipsychotics known as ‘dopamine antagonists’ ?
as they bind to dopamine receptors essentially blocking them so that dopamine cannot be absorbed in the synapses of the brain
What is an example of a typical antipsychotic?
Chlorpromazine
it works by initially producing more dopamine, but then reduces the production by blocking dopamine
also causes the sedation effect as it calms patients usually in psych wards who are very anxious
Why were atypical antipsychotics introduced ?
To reduce side effects
What are the two types of atypical antipsychotics?
Clozapine
Risperidone
Explain Clozapine
Atypical
when it was first trialled 1% of pps developed a rare blood disorder so if prescribed they have a take a regular blood test to ensure they don’t have it
they’re only prescribed if other medication isn’t seen to work
work in a similar way to typicals but block serotonin and glutamate too
they’re also believed to help with negative symptoms as well e.g., avolition
Explain Risperidone
Was created in attempt to make a drug as effective without such serious side effects
can be taken in all forms
it’s believed to bind with dopamine and serotonin receptors but binds more strongly to dopamine receptors than clozapine
How is Thornley’s research seen as support for drug therapies?
Thornley (2003) used 13 studies and 1121 pps comparing the effects of chlorpromazine to control conditions
was show that chlorpromazine was associated with better overall funcitoning and reduced symptoms severity than the placebo
demonstrates effective use of antipsychs and therefore its likely they work
How is Melzer’s research seen as support for drug therapies?
Melzer (2012) concluded that clozapine is more effective than typical antipsychs
It’s seen through its 30-50% effectiveness in treatment resistant drugs whereas as typical atypicals failed
Shows how antipsychs are effective
Why may antipsychotics not be effective in the long term?
Research only shows that they’re effective in the short term
Also these studies are published multiple times which exaggerates the size of the evidence base for positive effects
AND antipsychs are known to have a calming effect so therefore it’s easier to show that they have some positive effects on people with Sz- not the same as actually reducing psychosis
So there’s lack of evidence to show their effectiveness in the long run
Why are the multiple side effects a limitation for drug therapies?
Typical antipsychs can cause: dizziness, insomnia, stiff jaw etc
Long term:
Tardive dyskinesia= a neurological disorder which involves the sufferer displaying involuntary jerky movements of the mouth, face and tongue
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS)= results in high temp, delirium, coma and fatalities- frequency ranges from 0.1% to over 2%
Limitation as it may cause sufferers additional problems
Why is it a limitation that we don’t know why antipsychs work?
Antipsychs are tied up with the original hypothesis- symptoms of Sz are linked to high levels of dopamine in the subcortex
BUT this was updates and now its known there are also low levels of dopamine
Means that antipsychs may be more ineffective due to the lack of universal use for treatment on all Sz ppl
