drug therapy - biological treatment for sz

Question 1

what are first generation antipsychotics

Answer 1

typical

target dopamine receptors

developed first

Question 2

what are second generation antipsychotics

Answer 2

atypical

target dopamine, glutamate and serotonin receptors

more recently developed

Question 3

chlorpromazine - typical antipsychotic

Answer 3

reduces all levels of dopamine - reduces symptoms

motor side effects - dopamine lowered in all areas of the brain even where levels were normal before - could have negative impacts

Question 4

haloperidol - typical antipsychotic

Answer 4

treats auditory hallucinations

has a higher potency (large effect with small dose)

potential for severe motor side effects

Question 5

clozapine and risperidone - atypical antipsychotics

Answer 5

blocks both dopamine and serotonin receptor sites

side effects
- tardive dyskinesia greatly reduced
- dangerous drop in white blood cells in rare cases (agranulocytosis)

risperidone has a lower relapse rate compared to haloperidol (45% compared to 55%)

Question 6

what type of symptoms do typical antipsychotics reduce

Answer 6

positive symptoms

Question 7

what type of symptoms do atypical antipsychotics reduce

Answer 7

both positive and negative

Question 8

what % of people are antipsychotics effective for

Answer 8

60%

Question 9

what substances can impact the effectiveness of antipsychotics

Answer 9

amphetamines, alcohol, caffiene and nicotine

Question 10

advantages of using drug treatment - effectiveness

Answer 10

largely effective at reducing positive symptoms

successful for a large number of people with sz - fewer end up institutinalised

most widely used and effective form of treatment - almost all other treatments are used alongside drug treatments

60% effective

strong biological evidence for causation of sz

individualised plan - tailored to the patients needs

Question 11

advantages of using drug treatments - ethics

Answer 11

removes the need for straight jackets and heavy handed treatment of those with psychosis

more ethical and humane in comparison to earlier treatments, - e.g. insulin shock therapy

Question 12

advantages of drug treatments - example

Answer 12

Leucht et al. - those given placebos had a 64% relapse rate and only 27% relapse rate for those still taking the drug

Question 13

disadvantages of drug treatments - side effects

Answer 13

long term side effects even if medication stops - tardive dysconesia - may be worse than symptoms experiences

most people experience side effects - drowsiness/ weight gain

2/3 patients stop taking drugs as side effects are too severe - high drop out rate

Question 14

disadvantages - other

Answer 14

responses to medication vary - trial and error

other substances may interfere - nicotine, alcohol, caffiene

they are a form of social control - treats symptoms but does not cure the patient - based on societies view that the abnormal is unacceptable

has to be used in conjunction with anti-depressants, not effective alone at treating all symptoms

doesn’t factor in other causes - work on assumption that NT’s are the cause - drug treatment is not effective if it is not the cause