Drug Therapy- Evaluate Effectiveness Flashcards
(19 cards)
Give one strength of the effectiveness of drug therapy.
There is research to support it’s effectiveness
Give example of research that supports drug therapy.
Kahn et al. (1986): Followed patients for 8 weeks, finding what BZ’s were more effective at treating anxiety compared to placebos.
Explain how Kahn et al. (1986) supports drug therapy.
This research suggests that drug treatments are effective, as patients who were given the anti-anxiety medication, benzodiazepines (BZ’s), were found to have an improvement in their symptoms. This is likely due to the BZ’s effect on the patient’s GABA receptors in the brain, which has improved their anxiety symptoms by impacting the central nervous system, and increasing the body’s natural anxiety relief.
How does the placebo make the research effective?
1) As the researcher used the placebos in their research, it allowed them to control the psychological effects of treatment expectations and isolate the true efficacy of the treatment. Placebos (inactive drugs) are important to determine the effectiveness of a drug and if it has a real effect on participants, or if improvement is due to the belief of the treatment (the placebo effect).
2) If patients who take antidepressants show lower
levels of depression compared to patients who are on no
medication, then this is evidence that drug therapy works.
Give another example of research that supports the effectiveness of drug therapy.
Soomro et al. (2008) Reviewed 17 studies that used SSRIs to treat OCD. Patients found them to be more effective than placebos in reducing the symptoms up to three months after treatment.
Explain how Soomro et al. (2008) supports drug therapy.
This research further suggests that drug therapy is effective as the multiple studies (17) that have been reviewed have consistent findings that patients have found them to more effective in reducing symptoms up to 3 months therefore, implying that some drug therapies such as, SSRI’s have high reliability and are effective in inhibiting the reuptake process of serotonin, reducing patients’ symptoms of OCD.
Give counter argument of research supports drug therapy.
However, it’s unclear from the evidence how long the effects of the drug worked for, and if patients were still experiencing lower depression rates as they came off the SSRI’s, therefore, we’re unable to establish the long-term effectiveness of the drug.
Why is research to support the effectiveness a strength of drug therapy?
Despite, the little evidence on the long-term effects of drugs this is a strength because there is convincing evidence to suggest that drugs therapies such as, antianxiety medication, are effective as the drugs have a physiological impact on the body.
Give a limitation of the effectiveness of drug therapy.
A limitation of drug therapy in terms of effectiveness is that many drugs have unpleasant side effects.
Give an example of research that suggests drugs have unpleasant side effects.
Soomro et al (2008) found that many drugs have unpleasant side effects. For example, nausea, headache and insomnia are common side effects of SSRI’s. These might not seem too bad, but in some cases, this can be off-putting for the patient. In particular, Tricyclic antidepressants have more severe side effects – but will be used in cases where SSRI’s are not effective.
Explain the unpleasant side effects research from Soomro et al (2008).
This suggest that drugs may be seen as ineffective as some side-side effects from drugs such as, weight gain from antipsychotics. As a result, patients may be non-compliant, which means that they aren’t consistently taking the medication as prescribed, so consequently the drug can’t be effective.
What might make patients non-compliant to drugs?
Give a counter argument to drugs having unpleasant side effects so patients may be non-compliant.
However, despite the side-effects patients should be encouraged to take it as compared to the severity of the symptoms that the mental illness presents, such as schizophrenia which can involve very unsettling hallucinations and delusions, we must consider whether these side effects are worth it or not.
Why is unpleasant side effects a limitation of the effectiveness of drugs?
This is a weakness because the side effects can be unpleasant and lead to the patient being non-compliant and not wanting to take the medications. However, sometimes the severity of the symptoms, for example intense hallucinations, is worth the side effects. Furthermore, the patient could try various medications and find one that has minimal side effects for them.
Give another limitation of the effectiveness of drug therapy.
A limitation of drug therapy is that it treats the symptoms but not the root cause. Whilst drugs may treat the symptoms of the mental illness, there are concerns surrounding whether they treat the cause.
Give an example of how drug therapy treats the symptoms and not the root cause.
For example, depression is believed to be cause by lack of serotonin in the brain and SSRI’s block the reuptake of serotonin to increase the availability of serotonin in the synapse, treating patients’ symptoms such as, low mood however, the drug may be masking the underlying cause.
For example, the patient may have childhood trauma and then develop a mental health disorder such as depression as a result.
Explain why treating the symptoms and not the root cause is a limitation of drug therapy.
By temporarily treating the symptoms and root cause this could result the patient in developing a disorder called “revolving door syndrome” which refers to chronically ill patients who are frequently readmitted to hospitals or treatment facilities. Therefore, the patient may experience more stress due to frequent hospitalisation which can further impact the patient’s sense of hope and well-being. Furthermore, the frequent hospitilisations may place a financial strain on mental health systems, requiring increased resources for impatient care.
Give a counter argument to drug therapy treating the symptoms and not the root cause.
However, although drugs may not treat the underlying cause, drugs may be effective in temporarily improving symptoms, so the patient can then access therapy such as, CBT.
Why is treating the symptoms and not the root cause a limitation of the effectiveness of drug therapy?
This is a weakness because the drug temporarily treats the symptoms of mental health disorders and not the underlying causes which could result in patients developing “revolving door syndrome”. However, drugs can be used to temporarily improve symptoms so the patient is able to access further therapy such as, CBT.
