clinical key question- should we be prescribing medication for depression?

Question 1

what percentage of people in the Uk aged 16+ showed symptoms of depression? (ao1)

Answer 1

19.7%

Question 2

why do we need to know if medication for depression is effective? (ao1)

Answer 2

• costs the NHS money
• don’t want to give people medication if unnecessary
• don’t want to give unnecessary side-effects

Question 3

how do patients get access to psychoactive drugs? (ao1)

Answer 3

prescribed by psychiatrist/doctor and monitored

Question 4

how are drugs tailored to the patient’s needs? (ao1)

Answer 4

psychiatrists will adjust dosage to fit with the patient

Question 5

what is an alternative treatment to drugs? (ao1)

Answer 5

CBT

Question 6

what are problems with prescribing rugs? (3) (ao1)

Answer 6

• socially controlling/depowering/stigmatised
• drug treatment might not be long-lasting
• side-effects can be serious- cause attrition/ non-adherence

Question 7

what neurotransmitter has been linked to symptoms of depression?(ao2)

Answer 7

serotonin

Question 8

what symptoms of depression do low levels of serotonin cause? (2) (ao2)

Answer 8

• low mood

- high anxiety

Question 9

what other monoamines do serotonin influence? (2) (ao2)

Answer 9

• noradrenaline

- dopamine

Question 10

what biological process is linked to the cause of Depression? (ao2)

Answer 10

monoamine oxidase

Question 11

what do SSRI’s do? (ao2)

Answer 11

-stop the reuptake of Serotonin to the presynaptic bulb- more in synapse

Question 12

what do MAOI’s do? (ao2)

Answer 12

-stop monoamine oxidase from doing its job-doesn’t break own monoamines-increases level

Question 13

what does the cognitive explanation of depression suggest the cause of depression is? how does that support CBT treatment? (ao2)

Answer 13

faulty thinking process

-CBT changes maladaptive thoughts to adaptive thoughts-treating depression

Question 14

what did Geddes et al find? (ao3)

Answer 14

using rugs has a relapse rate of 18% compared to 41% in placebo group

Question 15

what did the royal college find? (ao3)

Answer 15

50-65% treated with antidepressants showed improvement compared to only 25-30% treated with placebo

Question 16

what did Hollon find? (ao3)

Answer 16

CBT had longer-lasting effective3 compare to drugs- relapse being 47% rather than 31%

Question 17

what id Jarrett et al find? (ao3)

Answer 17

found that MAOI’s more effective than tricyclics

Question 18

what did Muller find? (ao3)

Answer 18

study in the Netherlands found 76% of those who didn’t receive treatment still recovered and I not relapse