drug therapy - biological treatment for sz Flashcards
what are first generation antipsychotics
typical
target dopamine receptors
developed first
what are second generation antipsychotics
atypical
target dopamine, glutamate and serotonin receptors
more recently developed
chlorpromazine - typical antipsychotic
reduces all levels of dopamine - reduces symptoms
motor side effects - dopamine lowered in all areas of the brain even where levels were normal before - could have negative impacts
haloperidol - typical antipsychotic
treats auditory hallucinations
has a higher potency (large effect with small dose)
potential for severe motor side effects
clozapine and risperidone - atypical antipsychotics
blocks both dopamine and serotonin receptor sites
side effects
- tardive dyskinesia greatly reduced
- dangerous drop in white blood cells in rare cases (agranulocytosis)
risperidone has a lower relapse rate compared to haloperidol (45% compared to 55%)
what type of symptoms do typical antipsychotics reduce
positive symptoms
what type of symptoms do atypical antipsychotics reduce
both positive and negative
what % of people are antipsychotics effective for
60%
what substances can impact the effectiveness of antipsychotics
amphetamines, alcohol, caffiene and nicotine
advantages of using drug treatment - effectiveness
largely effective at reducing positive symptoms
successful for a large number of people with sz - fewer end up institutinalised
most widely used and effective form of treatment - almost all other treatments are used alongside drug treatments
60% effective
strong biological evidence for causation of sz
individualised plan - tailored to the patients needs
advantages of using drug treatments - ethics
removes the need for straight jackets and heavy handed treatment of those with psychosis
more ethical and humane in comparison to earlier treatments, - e.g. insulin shock therapy
advantages of drug treatments - example
Leucht et al. - those given placebos had a 64% relapse rate and only 27% relapse rate for those still taking the drug
disadvantages of drug treatments - side effects
long term side effects even if medication stops - tardive dysconesia - may be worse than symptoms experiences
most people experience side effects - drowsiness/ weight gain
2/3 patients stop taking drugs as side effects are too severe - high drop out rate
disadvantages - other
responses to medication vary - trial and error
other substances may interfere - nicotine, alcohol, caffiene
they are a form of social control - treats symptoms but does not cure the patient - based on societies view that the abnormal is unacceptable
has to be used in conjunction with anti-depressants, not effective alone at treating all symptoms
doesn’t factor in other causes - work on assumption that NT’s are the cause - drug treatment is not effective if it is not the cause
