A03

• What are the strengths of biological therapies?

  1. Evidence for effectiveness
  2. Advantages of atypical over typical antipsychotics
• What are the limitations of biological therapies?

  1. Serious side effects
  2. Motivational deficits
• Strength = evidence for effectiveness

  • Leuch et al. (2012) carried out a meta-analysis involving nearly 6000 patients where some were taken off their antipsychotic medication and given a placebo instead
  • The remaining patients continued taking their regular antipsychotics
  • Within 12 months, 64% of placebo patients had relapsed, compared to 27% of those who stayed on the antipsychotic drug
  • HOWEVER - some successful trials have had the data published multiple times, exaggerating the evidence for positive effects
  • Pharmacies also fund the research
• Strength = advantages of atypical over typical antipsychotics

  • A key advantage of atypical antipsychotics is that patients experience fewer side effects - less likely to result in movement problems common with typical antipsychotics
  • Patients are therefore more likely to continue with their medication, meaning a reduction in their symptoms is more likely
  • HOWEVER - Crossley et al. (2010) carried out a meta-analysis to examine efficacy and side effects of atypical drugs
  • Found no significant difference between atypical and typical drugs in terms of effect on symptoms
• Limitation = serious side effects

  • Typical antipsychotics can sometimes produce movement problems for the patient
  • The most common are Parkinsonian and related symptoms - resemble features of the neurological disorder Parkinson’s disease
  • More than half of the patients taking typical antipsychotics experience these symptoms
  • When taken for an extended period can lead to dyskinesia = involuntary movements of the tongue, face and jaw
• Limitation = motivational deficits

  • It is argued that when people are prescribed antipsychotic medication, it reinforces the view there is ’something wrong with them’
  • This prevents the individual from thinking about possible stressors that might be contributing to their condition
  • In turn this reduces their motivation to look for possible solutions that might alleviate these stressors and reduce their suffering
  • Best solution may be human intervention rather than chemical
  • Reactive management vs. root cause analysis