Drug therapy as a treatment for depression Flashcards
How do antidepressants control our mood?
They raise the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and noradrenaline.
What are the four types of antidepressants that you have learned about?
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s)
Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI’s)
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI’s)
Tricyclics (TCA’s)
How do SSRI’s work?
They block the reuptake of serotonin when it is released from a neuron.
This means the serotonin is available for longer.
More opportunity for other neurons to absorb it.
How do SNRI’s work?
Similar to SSRI’s but they block the reputake of Serotonin and Noradrenaline.
How do MAOI’s work?
Prevent the enzyme monoamine oxidase from doing its job properly. This is the enzyme that breaks down serotonin and noradrenline after they have been released.
This helps to make more of the neurotransmitters to be available to lift a person’s mood.
How do TCA’s work?
They work by boosting the effect of serotonin and Noradrenaline in the brain by preventing reabsorption into the neuron.
They are the oldest type of antidepressants and been around since the 1950’s.
What is a strength of drug therapy as a treatment of depression?
They can improve a patient’s symptoms enough to make it easier for them to access other psychological therapies such as CBT.
What do the Royal College of Psychiatrists report about drug treatment?
50-60% of patients with moderate to severe symptoms of depression show improvements when given antidepressants, compared to 25-30% of patients that were given a placebo.
This is strong evidence that drug treatment works.
What is one of the main problems of using drug therapy to treat depression?
