Stress

As students, stress is something we all know very well. This is why the A2 psychology specification provides us with information and strategies as well as the risks attached to this malady. This subtopic intends to discuss all of these in detail, particularly the use of chemotherapy to detail symptoms of stress.

Antianxiety drugs- e.g. Benzodiazepines

Antianxiolytics such as benzodiazepines slow down activity in the central nervous system. They enhance the action of GABA which is a neurotransmitter. GABA is the body's natural form of anxiety release and has a natural quieting effect on many of the neurons (around 40%) in the brain. BZs enhance the action of GABA by binding to special allosteric sites on the GABA receptor and boosting the actions of GABA. This allows more chloride ions to enter the neuron, making it more resistant to excitations, essentially producing an inhibitory post-synaptic transmission. In turn, the person feels calmer.

Beta-blockers (BBs)

Stress leads to an arousal of the sympathetic nervous system which in turn through the SAMP and HPAC pathways produce physical arousal ( e.g. raised blood pressure, increased heart rate, increased levels of cortisol, etc.) As a result, Beta-blockers aim to reduce the activity of adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Beta-blockers bind to receptors on the cells of the heart and other parts of the body that are usually stimulated during arousal. By blocking these receptors, it is more difficult to stimulate cells such as myocytes, lowering the heart rate as a result. Besides lower heart rate, after taking beta-blockers, the blood pressure of the user drops as well.

Evaluation of drug therapy for stress

Strengths: Research has demonstrated that drug treatments are extremely effective in treating the negative effects of stress. Kahn et al (1986) compared placebos and anti-anxiety drugs in 250 patients. The experimental group of patients were given an anti-anxiety drug while the control group was given a placebo. Kahn et al found that BZs were significantly superior to placebos in treating the symptoms of anxiety which has been caused by stress.

Weaknesses: Drug treatments of stress have been criticized for having a number of negative side effects. Patients taking medication for stress (e.g. Beta-blockers and anti-anxiety drugs) have reported many side effects including drowsiness, tiredness, dry mouth, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and more. This point can be viewed as a weakness since it illustrates the many risks of drug treatments for conditions such as stress and shows that though drugs treat symptoms, it still is not a 100% solution for a problem.