Biological therapy

• Biological approach used for treating schiz with drug therapy
• Treatment based on dopamine hypothesis
• Two types of antipsychotics

  Typical (treat positive symptoms and have severe side effects)

  Atypical (act on serotonin and dopamine receptors)
• Most people are prescribed atypical antipsychotics
• Advantage of drug therapy

  • More effective treating positive symptoms
  • Successful for most schiz patients more people live in a community rather than institution
  • Most widely used effective treatment
• Weaknesses of drug therapy

  • Not effective treating social withdrawal
  • Ethical issues "Chemical straitjacket"
  • Experience short term side effects (i.e. Drowsiness)
  • Long-term side effects (i.e. Diabetes)
  • Clinical trials show 66% people stop taking drug due to side effects
  • Treats symptoms not causes