drug treatment

• how does drug treatment work for schiz?

  first drugs used= phenothiazines (typical drugs) worked by blocking receptor sites for dopamine neurotransmitter. major side effect= shaking muscle tremors and severe jerky movements.

  • now use clozapine, act by blocking serotonin. more recently, 2 drugs olanzapine and risperidone created which are more effective and safe, more recent drugs being known as atypical.
• limitations?

  some patients are resistant to drugs so not effective with everyone. Patel (2014), 20% schiz show negligible improvement after multiple trials with FGA's, 45% experience partial improvement

  • relapse can be a serious issue in assessing effectiveness of drug therapies, it isn't a long term cure as symptoms recur.
• effectiveness?

  allows participants to live normal lives. Meltzer (2004), haloperidol gave a significant improvement in all areas of functioning compared to a placebo (psychological knowledge overtime).

  • symptoms decrease quicker than psychological therapies dp, Zhao (2016) meta analysis comparing 18 antipsychotics and 17 tested had significantly lower relapse rates than a placebo
• ethics?

  produces side effects that can be extremely unpleasant (weight gain), people in serious conditions may be unable to give informed consent, taking drugs can lead to addiction
• alternative?

  cognitive treatment