Cards (6)

    • 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
    See similar decks