Schizophrenia Booklet 4: Drug therapy Flashcards
What is AO1 for drug therapy split into?
-Drug Therapy
-Typical antipsychotics
-Atypical antipsychotics
Explain drug therapy…
A biological treatment for schizophrenia, it’s the most common treatment for schizophrenia and the drug used to treat SZ is called antipsychotics
Does drug therapy cure sz?
No they don’t cure schizophrenia but instead they alleviate symptoms
How can drugs be taken?
Through tablet, syrup or injection
What are the two types of drug therapy for sz?
-Typical antipsychotics (traditional/first gen)
-Atypical antipsychotics (newer/second gen)
What are basic qualities of typical antipsychotics?
-Introduced in 1950s
-Example is chlorpromazine
-Patients usually start with a smaller dose, which is then increased to a maximum of 1000mg
How do typical antipsychotics work?
-Reduce the amount of the nt dopamine in the brain
-In order to do this typical antipsychotics work by acting like antagonists
-Antagonists are chemicals which reduction the action of a nt, so dopamine for this
-Dopamine antagonist works by blocking dopamine receptors in the synapses of the brain
-This reduces the amount of excessive charges firing in the synapse, so less positive symptoms
What are basic qualities of Atypical antipsychotics?
-Introduced in the 1990s
-Example is Clozapine
-Produced in order to improve the effectiveness of antipsychotics on schizophrenics and to reduce side effects
-Unlike typical, they reduce both positive and negative symptoms
How do Atypical antipsychotics work?
-Work by reducing the amount of dopamine in the brain
-They also block dopamine receptors in synapse the same way typical ones do
-Therefore reduces dopamine and positive symptoms
-HOWEVER it also acts on serotonin receptors too, by increasing amount of serotonin in the brain
-This is supposed to relieve negative symptoms of SZ as it improves mood
What are the evaluations of drug therapy in SZ?
😀Work better than placebos (Davis)
😥Relapse rates
😀Cheap, quick and easy
😥Side effects (Tardive Dyskinesia)
😥Problems with appropriateness (informed consent)
😥Treat symptoms and not cause
What happened in the study of Davis?
Conducted a meta-analysis of more than 100 studies that compared effectiveness of antipsychotics with placebos, found that 70% of patients who were treated with antipsychotics improved after six weeks, however only 25% improved with placebos
How could the study of Davis be used for an argumentative IEC?
Argue that whilst this study proves effectiveness, it also shows drugs don’t work on everyone (only 70%)
How does drug therapy have a problem with relapse rates?
Research shown that there is a 40% likelihood that a sz patient will relapse within the first year of taking antipsychotics and a 15% relapse rate in later years
Explain the negative symptoms of drug therapy…
Side effects range from mild to serious, research shown that around 15% of long term users develop serious side effect of Tardive Dyskinesia
Loss of control over muscle movements in the face and body
Why is there a problem with informed consent for sz patients?
People with sz symptoms that are severe are likely to suffer hallucinations and delusions that may make it difficult for them to consent to the medication as they believe its harmful, due to delusions of persecution, which raises an ethical problem
