Drug therapies Flashcards
Why are drug therapies particularly popular treatments?
They allow people with schizophrenia to live relatively normal lives, dampening symptoms enough to allow for normal functioning
What are antipsychotic drugs divided into?
Typical and atypical
What is the difference between typical and atypical antipsychotics?
Atypical drugs are supposedly more effective than typical ones and incur fewer side-effects, but there is much discussion as to whether this is true or not
Atypical drugs increase dopamine levels in some areas, and also decrease dopamine levels in other areas, unlike typical drugs which can only increase or decrease dopamine
How quickly do antipsychotics take effect?
Symptoms such as hallucinations and feelings of agitation tend to reduce within a few days and delusions after a few weeks, with most patients seeing a lot of improvement within six weeks
What individual differences are there regarding treatments like this?
Some patients only need one round of antipsychotics, but some need regular doses, and others don’t respond to the treatment at all
How can antipsychotics be used alongside other therapies?
They can be used to reduce symptoms enough to make treatments such as CBT more effective
How do typical antipsychotics work?
By arresting dopamine production through blocking receptors in synapses that absorb dopamine, thereby reducing positive symptoms of the disorder
What other neurotransmitter mechanisms are affected by typical antipsychotics which can result in severe side-effects?
Cholinergic, alpha-adrenergic, histaminergic and serotonergic mechanisms
What side-effects are caused by the effect on the cholinergic system?
Dry mouth, urinary problems, constipation and visual disturbance
What side-effects are caused by the effect on the adrenergenic mechanism?
Low blood pressure, sexual problems and nasal congestion
When were atypical antipsychotics introduced?
The 1990s
Give an example of an atypical antipsychotic?
Clozapine
How do atypical antipsychotics work?
It is not known how they work exactly
What side-effects do atypical antipsychotics cause?
Weight gain, risk of a stroke, blood clots, diabetes and neuroleptic malignant syndrome
What did Bagnall et al. conclude?
Atypical drugs were more effective at reducing symptoms of schizophrenia, in particular clozapine, and they also had less side-effects, although they note that no one drug is superior and there are individual differences in reference to effectiveness and side-effects
