DRUG THERAPY AO1 & AO3

Question 1

BIO treatment

Answer 1

Biological therapies for schizophrenia include drug treatments 2 types that can be used: typical antipsychotics or atypical antipsychotics.

Question 2

typical

Answer 2

• An example of a typical antipsychotic drug is Chlorpromazine, this will combat the positive symptoms of SZ (hallucinations and delusions) which are products of overactive dopamine systems.
• It acts as an antagonist to reduce the amount of dopamine and therefore reduce symptoms of SZ.
• They work by binding to dopamine receptors (particularly D2 receptors) and thus blocking their action, not stimulating
  them.
• By reducing the stimulation they can eliminate the H+D experienced by Schizophrenics.

Question 3

atypical

Answer 3

• antipsychotic drug is Clozapine, which combats both positive and negative symptoms because it blocks serotonin and glutamate receptors as well as temporarily occupying dopamine receptors so they are at a normal level.
• They also bind to D2 receptors but rather than permanently block the dopamine action, they temporarily bind to the receptors and then rapidly dissociate to allow normal dopamine transmission.

Question 4

One strength of typical antipsychotics as a treatment is that there is supporting research to show effectiveness.

Answer 4

• For example, Davis et al reviewed 29 relevant studies and found that relapse occurred in only 19% of schizophrenic patients using conventional antipsychotics compared to 55% of patients taking a placebo.
• This suggests that conventional antipsychotic drugs minimise the risk of relapse amongst patients.
• However it’s argued that placebo studies aren’t fair to use in comparing treatment andnon-treatment, as withdrawal of antipsychotic medication creates heightened sensitivity and increased dopamine receptors to make up for the loss of the drug; the body is then flooded with dopamine.
• This suggests that the proportion of relapses in the placebo condition can be due to withdrawal effects.
• Therefore, it is unclear whether the apparent reduction in relapse rates in the medicated condition is due to the drug, or the withdrawal effects in the placebo condition

Question 5

One strength of atypical antipsychotics as a treatment is that there is supporting research to show its usefulness.

Answer 5

• For example, Jeste et al. carried out a study to test whether atypical antipsychotics were better than conventional antipsychotic drugs.
• They found that over the course of 9 weeks of treatment, 30% of patients taking conventional drug therapy developed tardive dyskinesia, whereas only 5% of patients taking atypical antipsychotics developed it.
• Therefore, there is proof atypical antipsychotics can cause less damage through their side effects than conventional antipsychotics, and are more appropriate to use.
• This is an advantage as it may make the patient feel more encouraged to keep taking the drug due to low levels of side effects and so less relapse rates amongst patients, than with typical
  antipsychotics

Question 6

One limitation of antipsychotic drugs is that it may be ethically questionable.

Answer 6

• For example, it is often
  perceived that the administration of antipsychotics in hospital settings is primarily aimed at making patients more manageable for staff, rather than to benefit the patients themselves.
• This suggests that these drugs aren’t used to help patients and their symptoms but to make the staff lives easier.
• This is a disadvantage as it could be considered a violation of human rights.
• Therefore, it is essential to consider the ethical implications of drug therapy and ensure that its use is guided by the best interests of the patients.
• Furthermore, its argued CBT may be a better alternative as it targets both aspects of the SZ which helps set goals and improve symptoms in a non-invasive manner

Question 7

One strength of drug therapy as a whole is that it’s cost effective and non disruptive.

Answer 7

• Compared to psychological treatments, such as CBT, drug therapies cost less and can be mass produced.
• Also, compared to psychological treatments, drug therapies do not interfere with the patient’s daily life, such as patients don’t need to attend appointments and take time out of their day to treat SZ.
• This is an advantage as it is an appropriate method of treating SZ as it increases the quality of life without disrupting people’s
  day to day life.
• FM drug therapies have good implications in terms of economy as people are taking less time off work, and so are able to still contribute to the economy