Drug Therapy (AQA A Level Psychology): Revision Note

Drug therapy

• Drug therapy is a biological approach to managing stress that involves the use of medication to reduce symptoms associated with the physiological stress response

• These drugs work by targeting the body's neurochemical systems, such as the central nervous system or autonomic nervous system, to help reduce anxiety and tension

• Rather than addressing the root cause of stress, drug therapy aims to alleviate the effects of stress on the body and mind, providing short-term relief and improving the individual's ability to function

• Different categories of drugs can be used to manage stress, including those that reduce activity in the sympathetic nervous system or influence neurotransmitters such as GABA or serotonin to produce calming effects

• Drug therapy is fast-acting, often effective in acute situations, and can be prescribed alongside other treatments such as CBT

Anti-anxiety drugs

• Benzodiazepines (BZs) are anti-anxiety drugs (brand names include Librium and Valium) which help reduce the anxiety response and so reduce stress

• BZs slow down the activity of the central nervous system to reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety by increasing the effect of the neurotransmitter GABA, which has an inhibiting (slowing) effect on many of the brain’s neurons

  • GABA works by allowing an increase of chloride ions into the neurons, making it more difficult for other neurotransmitters to stimulate them

• BZs also calm the excitatory effect of the neurotransmitter serotonin, further slowing down the activity of the nervous system and reducing symptoms of stress

Beta blockers

• Beta blockers reduce the physical effects of stress by blocking beta-adrenergic receptor cells in the heart, brain, and blood vessels

• This prevents noradrenaline and adrenaline from increasing heart rate and force of contraction

• As a result, beta blockers help slow the heartbeat and reduce symptoms of stress

• Unlike benzodiazepines, they are less likely to cause dependence, though side effects may include

  • cold extremities

  • fatigue

  • nightmares

  • hallucinations

Research which investigates drug therapy

• Davidson (1993) conducted an experiment and found that benzodiazepines significantly reduced stress in social anxiety patients, with 78% showing long-term improvement compared to 20% on a placebo

• Alexander et al. (2007) demonstrated that beta blockers improved cognitive flexibility under stress, helping participants stay calmer and perform better on tasks, such as public speaking and then performing a mathematical task while being videoed

Evaluation of drug therapy

Strengths

• Drugs are easy to take, affordable and popular with patients due to the familiarity of taking pills for a multitude of uses, for stress and generally for anxiety-related conditions

• Drugs do not require people to change the way they think or behave (which people tend to find difficult to do) and can be used in conjunction with psychological methods

Limitations

• The side effects of both benzodiazepines and beta blockers reduce the effectiveness of treatment, as patients experiencing side effects may stop taking the drugs before symptoms are reduced

• Drugs do not address the cause of a problem, merely its symptoms, and so once the medication is stopped, the symptoms are likely to recur 

Issues & Debates

• Drug treatment assumes a biologically determined response to stress (e.g., neurotransmitter imbalance), suggesting behaviour can be altered by medication

  • This undermines ideas of free will, as it implies stress-related behaviours can be ‘fixed’ without addressing conscious choices or thought processes

• Drug therapies take a biologically reductionist approach by focusing solely on chemical processes in the brain (e.g. GABA or adrenaline) to explain and treat stress

  • This overlooks important psychological, cognitive, and social factors (e.g., social support), providing only a partial explanation of how stress develops and is experienced. As a result, drug treatments may have limited long-term effectiveness