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3 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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AO1 - Introduction
The aim of biological therapies is to alleviate or cure the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Biological therapies are physical therapies that are based on the assumption of the biological approach - that abnormalities have an organic basis. Therefore, the physical state must be altered in order to bring about improvement of the symptoms. |
AO1 - ECT
The idea that schizophrenia could somehow be cured by inducing seizures followed reports that:
1) Dementia preaecox (an early name for schizophrenia) was rare in patients with severe epilepsy.
2) Seizures in patients with dementia praecox reduced the symptoms of the disorder.
ECT is still widely used today, if drug therapy has failed and the risk of suicide is high. It is usually given 2 or 3 times a week for 3 to 4 weeks. |
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AO1 - ECT
The patient lies on the bed in loose clothing.
Injected with a short-acting barbiturate, so they are unconscious before the shock is administered. They are given a nerve-blocking agent, paralysing the muscles of the body to prevent them from contracting during the treatment and causing fractures.
An electric current (70-130 volts) is passed through the scalp electrodes for approximately half a second. This is done by fixing electrodes above the temple of the non-dominant side of the brain, and a second in the middle of the forehead.
The current induces a convulsion (a seizure similar to an epileptic fit) that lasts for approximately one minute.
Once the patient comes round from the anesthetic they recall nothing about the procedure. |
AO2 - Effectiveness
P: Tharyan & Adams carried out a review of 26 studies, involving 798 participants, in order to asses whether ECT resulted in any meaningful benefit for schizophrenic patients.
E: They found that when ECT was compared with placebo or simulated ECT, more people improved with the real ECT condition.
E: However, there was no indication that this advantage was maintained over the medium or long term. Furthermore, antipsychotic medication was found to be more effective than ECT, particularly when the two treatments were combined.
L: Therefore a combination of ECT and antipsychotic medication may be appropriate when rapid reduction of symptoms is required, or when patients show a limited response to medication alone. |
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AO2 - Appropriateness
P: Due to the risks of memory impairment, brain damage and even death, it is still believed that ECT should only be considered in patients who are unresponsive to medication or are severely mentally ill.
E: In the UK, the decline in usage of ECT between 1979 to 1999 was 59%.
E: The governing body who oversees types of treatment in the UK (NICE) says that this treatment should not be used in the general management of schizophrenia, but as a short-term fix only.
L: Therefore, the use of ECT in treating schizophrenia is on a decline, partially due to the ethics and appropriateness associated with it. |
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