drug therapy

• Main components


  -Antipsychotic drugs

  -Antidepressant drugs

  -Antianxiety drugs
• Antipsychotic drugs


  treat psychotic mental disorders e.g-schizophrenia

  patient has lost touch with reality and has little insight into their condition
• Conventional antipsychotics


  -combat positive symptoms of schizophrenia(delusions+hallucinations)

  -block dopamine receptors so dopamine cant bind
• atypical antipsychotics


  -only temporarily block receptors,then rapidly dissociate

  -lower side effects
• Clozaril


  Type of atypical antipsychotic drug
• Antidepressants


  -insufficient amounts of serotonin

  -normal brains constantly release neurotransmitters

  -to terminate their use the neurotransmitter reabsorbs into presynaptic nerve and broken down by an enzyme

  -antidepressants work by blocking the enzyme or reduce the rate of reabsorption
• Prozac


  example of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRI)
• SSRI


  -bloc the transport mechanism that reabsorbs serotonin into presynaptic nerve
• antianxiety drugs


  -treat anxiety and stress
• Benzodiazepines (BZs)


  -slow down the CNS by enhancing GABA(neurostransmitter)

  -GABA is a natural form of anxiety relief
• Librium


  type of BZ
• Valium


  type of BZ
• Beta-blockers(BBs)


  -reduce the activity of adrenaline and noradrenaline

  -they bind to receptors on the heart and other parts of the body that are stimulated by sympathetic arousal

  -blocks the receptor so these areas cant be stimulated,so heart rate lowers

  -makes the person feel calmer
• EFFECTIVENESS:Drug v placebo 


  -a random control to compare the drug to a placebo.

  Soomro et al -17 studies of SSRIs with OCD,found them more effective then placebos 3 months after treatment

  Kahn et al - 250 patients over 8 weeks,BZs to be superior to placebos

  Most research is only short term
• EFFECTIVENESS Side effects


  effective in treating patients but serious side effects

  Nausea,headache are common in SSRIs,people will prefer not to take the drug.

  Tricyclic antidepressants have more serious side effects then SSRIs,so are only used if they arent effective
• EFFECTIVENESS Symptoms not cause


  drugs treat the symptoms but doesnt find the cause

  Adults depression can be caused by childhood trauma.

  Antidepressants can be effective short term but long term the disorder isnt dealt with.

  'revoling door syndrome',patient is constantly with their doctor and disorder is never cured
• EFFECTIVENESS Comparison to other therapies


  Cheap therapy for the patient,in the UK the patient is prescribed the drug by the NHS.

  Less time is needed with the patient,only need to meet every couple of months to see if the drug is being effective.

  Effective and easy to administer
• ETHICAL ISSUE Use of placebos


  no patient should be given a treatment known to be inferior.

  If effective treatments exist they should be used as a control condition.

  Exposing a patient to a treatment to be known to be inferior by substituting placebos for effective treatments
• ETHICAL ISSUE Patient information


  Valid consent

  Patients will struggle to remember all the facts relating to the side effects or may not be in the right state of mind.

  Info about the drug may be kept with hold

  Exaggerate the benefits

  'quick fix' nature