Biological treatment for unipolar depression & Evaluation Flashcards
What are usually recommended as a treatment for depression?
Antidepressants are usually recommended for moderate to severe depression.
How long do antidepressants need to be administered?
Most people need to take antidepressants for at least six months to benefit fully from their effect and for 24 months if the depression is long-term, or keeps coming back.
What is the most prescribed category of anti depressants?
The most prescribed category of anti depressants are called Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The most common of these drugs is called Flouxetine (trade name Prozac).
How do SSRI’s work
SSRIs work by blocking the ‘reuptake’ of the brain chemical serotonin, which is important in the transmission of nerve messages from one nerve to another.
Generally, what is serotonin regarded as?
Generally, serotonin is regarded as a ‘good mood’ brain chemical.
What do SSRIs do to stimulate the recipient cell and keep serotonin in the synaptic gap for longer?
To stimulate the recipient cell, SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin. As a result, the serotonin stays in the synaptic gap longer than it normally would, and may be recognized again (and again) by the receptors of the recipient cell, stimulating it.
Evaluate in terms of supporting evidence?
There is some evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of antidepressants in reducing the symptoms of depression. For example a meta-analysis of almost a hundred studies carried out in the US found SSRIs to be successful in 51% of these studies.
Evaluate in terms of reductionism.
there are many more studies demonstrating that SSRIs are most successful when used alongside therapy such as CBT.
Evaluate in terms of cost
A further strength of using antidepressants to treat depression is that they are a relatively cheap way a treating depression compared to therapies such as CBT.
How can it help a patient who is suffering for severe depression and one who doesn’t want to use CBT?`
If a patient is suffering from very severe depression drugs allow the patient to regulate their mood if they are not able yet to focus on making a change in their thinking.
Evaluate in terms of ethics.
A weakness of using antidepressants is the side effects that can be caused by the drugs. For example, SSRIs can cause nausea, insomnia, anxiety, dizziness, weight gain, nervousness and even depression. Furthermore, SSRIs can lead to withdrawal symptoms so the patient has to be withdrawn gradually to avoid the withdrawal symptoms of crying spells, insomnia and aches and pains.
Evaluate in terms of effectiveness.
A further weakness of SSRIs is that they do not actually cure depression they merely ease the symptoms. Therefore when a patient does stop taking the medication there is a high possibility that they will relapse into depression.
