drug therapy Flashcards
what are antipsychotics?
- a chemical treatment based on the dopamine hypothesis
- they help the patient improve their functioning and well-being but don’t cure the illness
typical antipsychotics
- they primarily combat pos symptoms
- they are dopamine antagonists, they bind to dopamine receptors (particularly d2 receptors)
- by binding to the receptors, this reduces their action and blocks their stimulation so they cannot absorb the dopamine
- reducing stimulation means the drugs can eliminate hallucinations and delusions
- this eventually normalises neurotransmission as postsynaptic cells receive less dopamine
atypical antipsychotics
- combat pos symptoms but there are claims they also work on neg symptoms
- they work on dopamine receptors but also block serotonin and glutamate receptors
- they work by temporarily occupying the d2 receptors and rapidly dissociating the dopamine
- this means the receptors still receive dopamine, just in smaller levels
differences between typical and atypical antipsychotics
- atypicals have less risk of extrapyramidal side effects like tardive dyskinesia
- research indicates atypicals have a beneficial impact on neg symptoms
- atypical are suitable for treatment-resistant patients, they’re more likely to work when typicals have failed
give a strength of drug therapy
1/1
drugs are more effective than placebos. lecht et al (2012) found patients who remained on their antipsychotic meds were 27% likely to relapse compared to 64% for those given a placebo. this highlights that drugs are successful in reducing the chance of relapse
give a strength of atypical antipsychotics
1/1
more appropriate in treating sz as there are fewer side effects, so patients are more likely to continue their meds and see more improvement. they are not side effect free however, and are associated with diabetes for example
give a limitation of drug therapy
1/1
drugs only treat the symptoms of sz, not offering a cure. so if a patient were to stop taking their medication, their symptoms would return. this can lead to the ‘revolving door phenomenon’, patients take their medication and feel better, then wrongly assume they are better and stop taking their meds, leading them to be ill again and be hospitalised
give a limitation of typical antipsychotics
1/1
it’s estimated that 60-70% of d2 receptors must be blocked for typical antipsychotics to be effective. due to this a similar number of d2 recepts in other areas of the brain must also be blocked, which causes side effects. one side effect is tardive dyskinesia, which can cause patients to stop taking their medication. although blocking dopamine receptors in one of the many dopamine pathways in the brain is useful, blocking them in other pathways like these do can be harmful to the patient.