Drug therapy

• What are antipsychotics primarily used to treat?

  Schizophrenia
• What symptoms do antipsychotics treat?

  Positive symptoms
• Typical

  Longer binding time
• Atypical

  Shorter binding time
• How do antipsychotics work?

  Bind to dopamine receptors and block uptake
• When are antidepressants used?

  When there is an insufficient number of neurotransmitters
• Name a type of antidepressant

  Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
• How do SSRIs work?

  Reduce the amount of serotonin absorbed by nerve endings, blocks the enzyme that breaks it down, increases the amount of serotonin available to neighbouring cells
• Name 2 types of anti anxiety’s

  Beta blockers and benzodiazepines
• How do beta blockers affect the individual?

  Reduces heart rate and blood pressure
• What do beta blockers reduce the activity of?

  SNS (sympathetic nervous system)
• What don’t beta blockers affect?

  The brain
• How do beta blockers work?

  Adrenaline and noradrenaline bind to beta adregenic receptors, BB bind to receptors and stop stimulation
• What do benzodiazepines do?

  Enhance activity of GABA
• What is GABA?

  A natural anxiety relief
• How do benzodiazepines work?

  Bind to booster site on GABA and makes neurone resistant to neurotransmitters
• How do benzodiazepines impact the individual?

  The brains output of neurotransmitters are reduced and the person feels calmer
• When did Kahn et al conduct his study?

  1986
• What did Khan et al find?

  Followed 250 people over an 8 week period, benzodiazepine's were superior to placebos
• When did Kirsch et al conduct his study?

  2012
• What did Kirsch et al find?

  Placebos were almost as effective as anti depressants
• What are some strengths of drug therapy?

  Enhance quality of life, little motivation required from patient, easy to administer, cheap
• What are some weaknesses of drug therapy?

  Symptom not cause, over medicated society, side effects