Biological Approach Flashcards
(23 cards)
What are antipsychotic drugs used for?
To treat psychotic mental disorders
What is the biological cause of schizophrenia?
High levels of neurotransmitter dopamine
What are the two types of antipsychotic drugs?
Conventional and atypical
How do conventional antipsychotics treat positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
They block the action of dopamine neurotransmitters binding to dopamine receptors- blocking the uptake of dopamine, reducing its activity.
How do atypical antipsychotics treat negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
It temporarily binds to dopamine receptors and then rapidly dissociates, allowing normal dopamine transmission.
What is the biological cause of depression?
It’s thought to be due to insufficient amounts of neurotransmitter serotonin being produced in the synapse
What is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors? (SSRI’s)
These are the drugs used to treat depression
How do SSRI’s work?
SSRIs bind onto pre-synaptic neuron so that serotonin cannot be reabsorbed. This increases the amount of serotonin in the synapse, prolonging its activity which can be received by the post-synaptic neuron.
Which type of antipsychotics have more side effects?
Conventional
What are the assumptions for the Biological Approach- Drug Therapy?
Medical model of illness, behaviour is determined by neurotransmitters, behaviour is influenced by LOBF.
What does the biological approach assume about psychological disorders?
They all have a physiological cause ( known as the medical model)
What is one strength of drug therapy in terms of Drug Vs. Placebo?
Thee is supporting evidence for the effectiveness of the drug versus placebo
What did Soomro et al (2008) find when reviewing 17 studies of the use of SSRIs with OCD patients?
He found them to be more effective than placebos in reducing the symptoms of OCD up to three months after treatment.
What did Kahn et al (1986) find after following 250 patients over 8 weeks?
Found that Benzodiazepines to be significantly superior to placebos for treating stress and anxiety.
GRADE BOOSTER COUNTER ARGUMENT
Drug Vs. Placebo
However, one of the issues regarding the evaluation of treatment is that most studies are only three to four months duration, and therefore little longitudinal data exists- so findings should be applied with caution.
What is one strength of drug therapy in terms of cost?
It’s cheaper for patients compared to other treatments ( e.g- psychotherapy) and in the UK, drug treatments are prescribed on the NHS. The practitioner has to invest less time in the patient because they only need to meet with the patient every couple of months after the initial consultation to discuss whether the drugs are having a positive effect and whether the patient is making progress.
What is Raine, Bachsbaum and Lacasse 1997?
‘Brain abnormalities in murderers indicated by positron emission tomography’
What method was used in Raine, Bachsbaum and Lacasse 1997?
Quasi experiment
What is the independant variable of Raine, Bachsbaum and Lacasse 1997?
IV: Murderers who had pleaded NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF INSANITY or non murderers
What is the dependant variable of Raine, Bachsbaum and Lacasse 1997?
DV: Brain differences, demonstrated by PET scans
What experimental design was used in Raine, Bachsbaum and Lacasse 1997?
Matched pairs- Participants matched by age and sex.
Who was in the experimental group in Raine, Bachsbaum and Lacasse 1997?
41 murderers who had plead NGRI were instructed to be medication free for two weeks before brain scanning. All had some form of mental impairment.
Who was in the control group of Raine, Bachsbaum and Lacasse 1997?
41 non-murderers, who had been matched on sex and
age with the participants in the experimental group.
6 of the control group had Schizophrenia, these were
matched with the 6 Schizophrenics in the experimental
group.
Other 35 control participants had no history or family history of psychiatric illness
