Drug Therapy
Evaluation
The Main Components of Drug Therapy
How the approach applies in therapy?
A03 - Psychologists
Weaknesses
Strengths
The subject gains relief from the symptoms
Drug Therapy doesn't cure it just relieves symptoms and allows the body to heal itself
Subject regains control over life
Subject gains positive reinforcement from responses to others
Self-esteem and self image are altered in a positive direction
Drugs can have severe side effects
Drug therapy is easy because prescription only needs updating every few months
What is a Drug?
A drug is any substance that is digested or directly introduced into the blood stream and has a potential neuropsychological effect
The term drug isn't usually used for things like caffeine, alcohol and most foods
In drug therapy the term drug describes medically prescribed substances given to clinically diagnosed disorders
They work by boosting the by boosting the activity of particular brain chemicals or by making the activity last longer, they can also work by reducing the rate of absorption or blocking the enzyme.
Anti-depressants
Anti-depressants are used for people who are clinically diagnosed with suffering a depressive episode but can also be used with people suffering from phobias, OCD or eating disorders like bulimia (conditions thought to have a basis in abnormal anxiety)
The Types of Anti-depressants are:
SNRI’s – increases levels of serotonin and noradrenaline
Tricyclics – similar action, older generation with more side effects such as hallucinations and irregular heartbeats than SSRI’s
SSRI’S – increases levels of serotonin
Anti-psychotics
Anti-psychotics are used to treat severe disorders where delusions and loss of contact with reality are common, such as schizophrenia, severe depression
Their are three theories about he they work:
Allowing increases off serotonin, glutamate and other mood-affecting chemicals
Some older anti-psychotics are thought to cause parkinsonism, hence the movement disorders and emotional flattening seen as side effects
Blocking dopamine, a neurotransmitter thought to cause psychotic experiences
First generation drugs (‘typicals’) such as haloperidol have been superseded by new generations (‘atypicals’) such as clozapine, with less side effects
Minor Tranquillisers
Minor Tranquilisers include sleeping pills, used for insomnia and are the most often prescribed drugs in the UK
Their main use is for severe anxiety and stress symptoms
Estimated 1.25 million long-term users of benzodiazepines in 2000, 12.7 million prescriptions issued in 2002, between 2015 and 2020 increased in users from 6.8 million to 7.8 million p.a. (NHS Business Services Statistical Report)
Described from the 1970’s onwards as a hidden epidemic - lots of people became addicted
Main drug was the benzodiazepine family, but more likely to be a SSRI now
Female/Male prescriptions ratio has remained consistent in the last decade 2 to 1
Benzodiazepines have dangerous withdrawal syndrome taking weeks and possible killing them
Lithium and Mood Stabilisers
They are usually prescribed for mood swing issues, principally bipolar disorder but can also be prescribed for mania, severe depression or emotional disorder
The main drugs are Lithium carbonate, Lithium Citrate
Lithium is poisonous so it needs to be carefully calibrated for the individual
One of the biological approach assumptions is the medical model that psychological behaviour is the result of physical processes and that all psychological illnesses should be treated with physiological rather than psychological methods for example using drug therapy.
Kahn et al (1986) found BZ's to be significantly better than placebos
Soomro (2008) found the use of SSRI's with OCD to be more effective than placebos reducing symptoms of OCD up to 3 months after treatment
Their is no scientific evidence that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance which is corrected by antidepressants (MIND 2010)