drug treatment of sz

Question 1

AO1

Answer 1

AO1 for bio treatment of sz :

Dopamine antagonists’ slow dopamine production
Psychoactive drugs(antipsychotics) are dopamine antagonists
Doctor prescribes- monitors (for effect and side effects)- will adjust quantity/type of drug tailored to patient
Administered as syrup, tablet, or injection
Regular basis to keep symptoms controlled, takes weeks for full effect but may offer slight relief like anxiety in hours

Question 2

how drugs treat sz

Answer 2

How they do it:
Block dopamine receptors - lowering activity at the synapse
This reduces positive symptoms such as hallucinations

Question 3

two types of sz drugs

Answer 3

-Typical (from the 50s) e.g., Haloperidol – block dopamine receptors (lowering activity, reducing positive symptoms)
-A-Typical (from the 90s) e.g., Clozapine – Block dopamine less/ more temporarily and block other NTs like serotonin (reducing negative and positive symptoms)
-Serotonin plays a role in controlling levels of other NTs – if serotonin is regulated, other NTs such as dopamine will regulate too

Question 4

Emsley(2008):

Answer 4

found 84% of patients on anti-psychotics had atleast 50% reduction in symptoms OTOH still not effective for everyone- treatment needs tailoring to individual

Question 5

Leiberman (2005):

Answer 5

Leiberman (2005): many patients stop taking their medication because of severe side effects e.g Agranular cytosis(reduced white blood cells) and tardive Dyskinesia(uncontrollable facial movements which often stays even after stopping drug), so lots of patients stop drug due to side effects

Question 6

Hogarty et al (1972)

Answer 6

Hogarty et al (1972) relapse rates 48% vs 80% without these types of medication OTOH half still relapse- need to take drug long term to make it effective

Question 7

Rosa et al (2005)

Answer 7

Rosa et al (2005) found 50% of patients complied with taking their anti-psychotics, will not get much benefit from it, may not take due to delusions of persecution, or start to feel better so stop taking it OTOH if monitored by doctor they can make sure they take it or adjust the prescription

Question 8

usefulness of treating sz

Answer 8

-The side effects may cause the person more harm meaning we cannot prescribe as treatment for sz
-There is no cure for sz from drugs meaning the person will always suffer with sz, the symptoms are just reduced, meaning it must be taken long term, but it helps them function better in society and do day to day tasks
-Work quickly offering quick relief
-Side effects can be severe so patient may stop taking the drug so will not be useful in treating sz

Question 9

testability of drug treatment for sz

Answer 9

TESTABILITY:

-can measure brain activity and neurotransmitter levels making it an empirical treatment for sz

-socially controlling as it suggests there is a certain way to behave, and you must take that drug to make you behave that way OTOH not a bad thing because the treatment allows the patient to function better in society