Drug therapy-EVAL Flashcards
One strength of TYPICAL medication is that data from 13 TRIAL with 1121 patients shows that CHLORPROMAZINE showed BETTER functioning and REDUCED symptoms more than PLACEBOS
This shows that chlorpromazine is an EFFECTIVE drug to treat sz as it REDUCED symptom severity BETTER than placebos
This research was also conducted on a LARGE sample increases POP validity meaning results can be GENERALISED back to the population and so EFFECTIVENESS of the drug may be applicable to sz as a WHOLE.
A STRENGTH of ATYPICAL medication is that CLOZAPINE has been effective in 30-50% of treamtenet resistance cases wehreTYPICAL medications have FAILED.
This therefore shows that ATYPICAL drug therapy is EFFECTIVE for treating sz in 30-50% where TYPICAL antipsychotics haven’t been successful. This SUPPORTS A-typical antipsychotics and suggests that these drugs such as clozapine can be MORE effective as a drug therapy for sz than typical, as they were able to SUCCESSFULLY treat patients where typical drugs had FAILED.
However, it is only 30-50% and so it could be suggested that perhaps the drugs could be used in COMBO with other treatments to make them even MORE effective e.g. CBT.
A WEAKNESS of Typical AND Atypical mediation is that patients are likely to experience SIDE EFFECTS.
Typical: Tardive Dyskinesia= invol face movments.
Atypical: Agranulocytosis= very low white blood cell levels which can lead to sepsis.
THEREFORE, it may mean that people WONT want to take the drugs and could STOP taking them, which would clearly have a NEGATIVE impact on their effectiveness. This could be when we should look at ALT therapies to drug therapy, or perhaps LOWER doses in combo with other therapies e.g. CBT to treat sz.
Another weakness of BOTH drugs is that some trial have had their data published MULTIPLE times whihc EXXaGERATES the positive efffects.
Also, the drugs may just be CALMING patients rahter than REDUCING their psychosiss, and studies only lok at SHORT TERM effectss rather than LONG TERM.
Therefore this is an ISSUE as it could be that the drug therapy for sz may NOT be as effective as it seems and so this QUESTIONS the I.V and effectiveness of the drugs and perhaps we AREN’T measuring the effectiveness accurately.
Also, it could just be calming patients meaning that this just MASKING the symptoms and so perhaps drugs are NOT as effective at truly treating the symptoms of sz as first thought.
Also it could be that any conclusions we make can only be made for short term symptoms and NOT long term and so effectiveness of these drugs in treatment of sz in the LONG TERM could STILL be questioned.
an ISSUE with using DRUGS to treat sz is that it is REDUCTIONIST
This is because it takes the COMPLEX issue of sz and reduces it down to JUST levels of dopamine and may MISS other influencing factors such as DYSFUNCTIONAL families/cog.dysfunction.
Therefore it could be suggested that we take an INTERACTIONIST approach whereby we COMBINE both drug therapy alongside family therapy. This therefore means we are able to treat MORE than one cause of sz which is more likely to be a MORE effective approach.
