[S] Biological therapies

Question 1

What do antipsychotic medications do?

Answer 1

They help people to function as normally as possible while increasing their subjective well being.

Question 2

Which symptoms do conventional drugs such as chlorpromazine combat?

Answer 2

Combat positive symptoms.

Question 3

Which symptoms do atypical drugs such as clozapine combat?

Answer 3

Combat positive and negative symptoms.

Question 4

What do conventional drugs do?

Answer 4

They reduce the effects of dopamine, eliminating hallucinations and delusions experienced by schizophrenics.

Question 5

What do atypical drugs do?

Answer 5

They reduce the effects of dopamine and serotonin.

Question 6

How appropriate are conventional antipsychotics?

Answer 6

• Many worrying side effects.
• Fast and cheap.
• Used in conjunction with psychological treatments, so the patient can be treated.
• Do not cure, so not a long term solution.
• Addiction is a possibility.
• Prescription of drugs reduces motivation to cure disorder.
• Patient may be unable to give informed consent.

Question 7

How effective are conventional antipsychotics?

Answer 7

• Davis et al (1980) found a higher relapse rate for those on placebos rather than actual drugs.
• Only alleviates positive symptoms.

Question 8

How appropriate are atypical antipsychotics?

Answer 8

• Fewer irreversible side effects.
• Do not cure, so not a long term solution.
• Fast and cheap.
• Addiction is a possibility.
• Prescription of drugs reduces motivation to cure disorder.
• Patient may be unable to give informed consent.

Question 9

How effective are atypical antipsychotics?

Answer 9

• Superiority over conventional drugs is only moderate.

- Marginal support for relief of negative symptoms.

Question 10

Where did the idea that schizophrenia could be treated by inducing seizures come from?

Answer 10

Reports that those with epilepsy rarely suffered schizophrenia.

Question 11

What happens in electroconvulsive therapy?

Answer 11

An electric current is passed between two scalp electrodes, one on the temple and one in the centre of the forehead.

Question 12

How appropriate is electroconvulsive therapy?

Answer 12

• Possible health risks such as memory loss, brain damage and death.
• Last resort where other treatments have been unsuccessful.
• Can offer quick and speedy results.

Question 13

How effective is electroconvulsive therapy?

Answer 13

• Results are no different from antipsychotic medication.
• Sarita et al (1998) found no difference in symptom reduction of those given ECT or simulated ECT.
• Effective for catatonic schizophrenia.
• 60% of patients respond to treatment.
• Many patients relapse after 6 months.