drug treatment depression Flashcards
How do the drugs to treat Depression work?
They are psychoactive changing the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain
What neurotransmitters particularly do the antidepressants effect? and how?
They raise the levels of monoamines such as Serotonin in the synapse making more activity
What are some of the types of drugs which can be used?
SSRIs or MAOIs or Tricyclic acids amongst others
How do SSRIs work?
They block the reuptake of Serotonin meaning more is left in the synapse and so there is greater activity at the receptor sites
How do MAOIs work?
They inhibit Monoamine oxidaise enzyme which stops it breaking down the monoamines meaning there will be more in the synapse and greater activity
What is the first thing a doctor is responsible for with drug treatment?
Prescribing the relevant medication
Why would there be follow up meetings with the patient after prescription?
Monitoring the patient for sideeffects and effectiveness
What happens if the medication isnt being effective or causes side to effects?
Changing medication type and dosage as needed
What did Jarrett et al find?
found that MAOIs were more effective than tricyclics for treating severe depression but they have a toxic effect if combined with other drugs and certain foods and drinks
What did Muller find?
found that 76 percent of those who didn’t receive treatment still recovered and did not relapse.
What did Karp and Frank find?
Those on drugs alone did just as well as those on drugs and CBT and suggesting CBT didn’t make an impact whereas drugs do
What did The Royal College find?
that 50 to 65 percent of people treated with antidepressants showed improvement compared to only 25 to 30 percent of those treated with a placebo.
What is a major problem with people taking medication?
They cause sideeffects which are harmful and might stop people taking the medication making it less effective
What is a problem if people stop taking the medication
They symptoms might return so the medication isn’t long lasting
What is a strength of drugs compared to CBT?
They are relatively quick acting compared to other treatments like CBT
