C1: Biological approach: Drug Therapy AO1

Question 1

What do antipsychotic drugs do?

Answer 1

Antipsychotic drugs treat psychotic mental disorders such as schizophrenia

Question 2

What often happens to a patient with a psychotic disorder?

Answer 2

They lose touch with reality and has little insight into their condition

Question 3

What are conventional antipsychotic drugs used for?

Answer 3

Used primarily to combat the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, for example delusions, and hallucinations.

Question 4

How do conventional antipsychotic drugs stop the symptoms?

Answer 4

They block the action of dopamine in the brain by binding to, but not stimulating, dopamine receptors.

Question 5

How do atypical antipsychotic drugs work?

Answer 5

Act by only temporarily occupying dopamine receptors, and then rapidly dissociating to allow normal dopamine transmission.

Question 6

Give an example of an atypical antipsychotic drug

Answer 6

Clozaril

Question 7

Atypical antipsychotic drugs have less side effects than conventional antipsychotic drugs because they only temporarily occupy dopamine receptors. What kind of side effects can they have?

Answer 7

Involuntary movement of the mouth and tongue, much milder side effects compared to conventional antipsychotics.

Question 8

What two types of antipsychotic drugs are there?

Answer 8

Conventional and atypical

Question 9

What two types of anti-anxiety drugs are used to treat anxiety?

Answer 9

Beta-blockers and benzodiazepines

Question 10

How do benzodiazepines work? (anti-anxiety drug)

Answer 10

They slow down the activity of the central nervous system, they do this by enhancing the activity of GABA, that is the body’s natural form of anxiety relief.

Question 11

What is GABA?

Answer 11

a biochemical or neurotransmitter, which is the body’s natural form of anxiety relief

Question 12

How do beta-blockers work? (anti-anxiety drugs)

Answer 12

They reduce the activity of adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are parts of the response to stress. BBs bind to receptors on the cells of the heart and other parts that are stimulated during sympathetic arousal.

Question 13

What is a result of the beta-blockers binding to the cells of the heart and other stimulated areas?

Answer 13

By blocking these receptors, it is harder to stimulate cells in this part of the body, so heartrate is decreased and blood vessels don’t contract so easily. This results in a lower blood pressure and therefore less stress on the heart.
The person is less anxious as a result of this.

Question 14

Most common antidepressant to be prescribed?

Answer 14

SSRI’S (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) eg Prozac.

Question 15

What does SSRI stand for?

Answer 15

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Question 16

How do SSRI’s work?

Answer 16

Blocking the transporter mechanism that reabsorbs serotonin into the presynaptic cell after it has fired. So, more of the serotonin is left in the synapse, prolonging its activity and making transmission of the next impulse easier.

Question 17

In what two ways can antidepressants work to make an individual feel less depressed?

Answer 17

They work by either:

• Reducing the rate of reabsorption of serotonin
• Blocking the enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitters.

Question 18

What is depression thought to be in terms of neurotransmitters?

Answer 18

Its thought to occur due to insufficient amounts of neurotransmitters such as serotonin being produced in the nerve endings (synapse).

Question 19

What happens in normal brains with neurotransmitters(serotonin)?

Answer 19

neurotransmitters are constantly being released and reabsorbed into the nerve endings, stimulating the neighbouring neurons.

Question 20

What two types of anti-anxiety drugs are used to treat anxiety?

Answer 20

Beta-blockers and benzodiazepines (treat stress also)