Drug treatments

• Drug treatments aim to treat the physiological symptoms associated with the fight or flight response
• Benzodiazepines (such as Diazepam/valium) quickly reduce arousal in the central nervous system
• Benzodiazepines enhance the activity of GABA, a neurotransmitter which inhibits neurones in most brain areas by attaching to receptors in the post synaptic neurone making it less likely to fire, slowing neural activity
• Benzodiazepines work directly on the brian
• Beta Blockers such as atenolol act on adrenaline and noradrenaline to reduce arousal in the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system
• beta blockers such as atenolol are commonly prescribed to reduce blood pressure and heart rate
• when adrenaline and noradrenaline are produced in the fight or flight response they combine with beta adrenergic receptors in the cardiovascular system increasing blood pressure and heart rate; beta blockers prevent this by blocking adrenergic receptors so they cannot be stimulated by adrenaline and noradrenaline
• beta blockers do not have a direct impact on the brain so are useful for people who want to reduce stress while also maintaining alertness such as surgeons
• Benzodiazepines strength; research support from Baldwin (2013) who conducted a meta analysis of randomised control trials using a double blind procedure and found benzodiazepines are significantly more effective than placebos
• Beta blockers strength; research support from Kelly (1980) who found beta blockers were effective at reducing everyday anxieties associated with civil disturbances in the 1970s in Northern Ireland
• Beta blockers strength; short term so are easily applicable to people who struggle with social anxieties such as public speaking
• Drug treatment strength; beta blockers and benzodiazepines can be used together as Hayes and Schulz (1987) found they are most effective when combined
• Drug treatment weakness; side effects such as drowsiness, weight gain, and respiratory issues, however upon a cost benefit analysis these drugs could still be seen as beneficial to those who struggle with severe anxiety
• Drug treatment weakness; do not deal with emotional or psychological symptoms of stress and anxiety only physical ones limiting their usefulness
• Drug treatment weakness; other treatments such as biofeedback may be more useful as they allow regulation of both emotional and physical symptoms without any side effect