Treatments for schizophrenia

?

Anti psychotic drugs

- Since 1950's - Previous treatment included cold bath - Change neurotransmitter activity in brain - Dophamine activity - Too much dophamine causes S - Hallucinations, Delusions & word salad - Typical & Atypical - Older typical drugs only combat positive syptoms - These bind to D2 receptors blocking dophamin activity - New Atypical drugs (chlozapine) combat positive & negative symptoms - These work on D2 receptors & serotonin receptors - Fewer side effects Success rate for anti psychotics is somewhere between 70 - 80%

- Davis - 29 studies - relapse into S is found in 55% of cases were the druf was replaced by a placebo - only 19% in the patients who remained on the drugs - suggests drugs are effective - improve quality of life - Drug treatment for S are good - research which underins these treatments is objective, scientific = reliable - comparisons and predictions can be made

- Side effects - 30% of patients taking typical drugs develop tardiv dyskeneshia - only about 5% with Atypical - die 20 years early - delicate ethical balence to be maintained between the positive effects of drugs and the negative effects

1 of 2

CBT

-Nurture rarther than Nature - Talking therapies - Challenge mistaken beliefes & give stratagies to deal with them - Research suggests psychotic episodes were halved in young people who only have CBT (for 6 months) and not drugs - Dr Paul Hutton's proposal - young people in danger of developing Psychosis should be offered care, including 6 months of CBT 

-Weekly - Between 5 &20 weeks - Understand and challenge dellusions & hallucinations - coping stratigies - distracting themselves or shouting at the voices - Rehospitalisation decreased by 50% amongst S clients treated with CBT

- Linda Hart - Used non drug stratigies to cpe with her S - writing prevented her hearing her dead farthers voice - Art therapy helped her channel her delusions in a creative way

- Drurry - Patients that have CBT experience fewer symptoms of S & recover 25-50% more quickly than patients not on CBT- Works particually well in conjunction with drugs - Only 51% of people with S are offered CBT 

-Background research into CBT - Scientific & high on reliability - Critics would argue the 'hello goodbye' effect makes validity look higher than it is

-Publication bias - Negative / neutral results of research into both treatments for S are often not published - Researchers suppress damaging access the value of the treatment  - Both treatments can be one sided 

2 of 2

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Psychology resources:

See all Psychology resources »See all Abnormality resources »