Antipsychotic Drugs to treat SZ

• Typical antipsychotics are from 1950s onwards. They are dopamine antagonists, which block the reuptake of dopamine in the synapse, reducing dopamine activity
• An example of a typical antipsychotic drug is Chlorpromazine. At first, when it is taken, dopamine builds up, but then is reduced. This reduces positive symptoms like hallucinations and has a calming effect (1950's onwards)
• Atypical antipsychotics are from the 1970s onwards. They block dopamine receptors and also act on other neurotransmitters like acetylcholine and serotonin and also addresses negative symptoms like avolition
• An example of atypical antipsychotics is clozapine which is used for SZ when other treatments fail and also acts on serotonin and glutamate receptors- sometimes is prescribed when a person is at high risk of suicide (30-50% of ppl with SZ attempt suicide)
• Risperidone is a more recent atypical antipsychotics (1990s) and has fewer side effects than Clozapine. It binds to dopamine receptors more strongly than Clozapine and therefore smaller doses can be used
• AO3- Thornley reviewed studies (1121 pps) and found chlorpromazine was associated with better overall functioning than a placebo- evidence for effectiveness
• AO3- Bagnall's research suggested that atypical drugs may have been more acceptable to people with SZ than typical as it had a lower subject attrition rate
• AO3- Side effects (also leading to a high attrition rate) are a big problem- particularly for typical (e.g. dry mouth, constipation and Tardive Dyskinesia) but Atypical also have side effects (e.g. weight gain, cardiovascular problems and agranulocytosis- white blood cells). This suggests that the drugs may do more harm than good
• AO3- Maybe psychological therapies may be better- McFarlane found family therapy reduced relapse by 50-60% and would have none of the physical side effects that drugs do
• AO3- Drugs do allow some to live independently and outside of institutional care and reducing relapse rates could be better for the economy than the high cost of hospitalisation or other treatments and could allow someone to return to work