Question 1

Leonard's new symptoms are the result of taking the older type of antipsychotics medication, but he is reassured that they are the most common complication of this drug treatment, which one is it?

Accepted Answer

Pseudoparkinsonism is a common side effect of older antipsychotics, characterized by symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease, such as tremors and rigidity.

Question 2

What are the antipsychotic drugs marketed in the past ten years, such as Zyprexa (olanzepine), referred to as?

Accepted Answer

Atypical antipsychotics, including drugs like Zyprexa (olanzapine), are newer antipsychotic drugs marketed in the past ten years that are distinguished from older typical or conventional antipsychotics by their different side effect profiles and mechanisms of action.

Question 3

If you have schizophrenia, and have been diagnosed with a comorbid symptom of depression, according to research completed by Shugar and colleagues at the University of Toronto, what might be the best treatment choice?

Accepted Answer

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been found to be effective in treating depression, including in individuals with schizophrenia who have comorbid symptoms of depression. This treatment option can be particularly useful when medication and other therapies are not effective.

Question 4

Recommendations for the treatment of schizophrenia are based on existing scientific evidence as developed by Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team in the US. Which level of evidence would be present if evidence from at least 1 RCT was available?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recommendations for the treatment of schizophrenia are...

Question 5

What is a common side effect linked with the older antipsychotics, but less common with the newer ones?

Accepted Answer

Pseudoparkinsonism is a common side effect associated with older antipsychotics due to their dopamine-blocking effects in the brain, which can mimic symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Newer antipsychotics are designed to have a lower risk of these motor side effects.

Question 6

Recommendations for the treatment of schizophrenia are based on existing scientific evidence as developed by Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team in the US. How many levels exist?

Accepted Answer

The Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) recommendations include 7 levels of evidence, ranging from well-established treatments supported by multiple high-quality studies to clinical consensus in areas where the research evidence is lacking.

Question 7

Martha has been rushed to the hospital by her family fearful of her symptoms. Upon arrival the emergency doctor learns she has been taking antipsychotics medication and she is exhibiting the most serious complication of this drug treatment, which one is it?

Accepted Answer

Tardive dyskinesia is a serious and potentially irreversible side effect of long-term use of antipsychotic medications, characterized by repetitive, involuntary, purposeless movements.

Question 8

What do many of the new atypical antipsychotics cause?

Accepted Answer

Many of the new atypical antipsychotics are associated with significant weight gain and metabolic changes, including an increased risk for diabetes and dyslipidemia.

Question 9

Currently in clinical trials in Toronto, magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is being investigated as an alternative to which treatment?

Accepted Answer

Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is being investigated as an alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), aiming to offer similar benefits with potentially fewer cognitive side effects.

Question 10

You just learned your grandparent has been placed on a new drug due to a serious health concern. You have never heard of the drug before, what might be a beneficial step to take to investigate?

Accepted Answer

The Beers List is a guideline that helps healthcare providers identify potentially inappropriate medications for older adults, which can be useful in understanding the implications of a new drug prescribed to a grandparent.

Question 11

What are two of the most positive aspects of antipsychotic medication?

Accepted Answer

Antipsychotic medications are known for not producing dependence, making them safer in terms of addiction risk. Additionally, their pharmacological profile makes it difficult to use them to commit suicide, providing an added layer of safety in treating psychiatric conditions.

Question 12

After experimenting on pigs in a slaughterhouse, who developed the technique of using electric shock to induce convulsions?

Accepted Answer

Ugo Cerletti, along with his colleague Lucio Bini, developed the technique of using electric shock to induce convulsions for therapeutic purposes, known as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), after observing the effects of electric shocks on pigs in a slaughterhouse.

Question 13

Recommendations for the treatment of schizophrenia are based on existing scientific evidence as developed by the Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team in the US. Which level would be present if there was evidence from a single descriptive or qualitative study available?

Accepted Answer

Level VI is assigned to evidence from a single descriptive or qualitative study.

Question 14

Which treatment was used in the early 1900s to treat patients who had psychosis, when it was believed to be caused by syphilis?

Accepted Answer

Malaria therapy was used in the early 1900s to treat patients with psychosis, particularly when it was believed to be caused by syphilis. The idea was that inducing a high fever through malaria could kill the syphilis bacteria.

Question 15

What will be the initial effect of the antipsychotic drugs?

Accepted Answer

Antipsychotic drugs primarily work by blocking D2 dopamine receptors in the brain, which helps in reducing symptoms of psychosis such as hallucinations and delusions.

Question 16

Which country was the first to issue a Black-Box Warnings regarding Treating Adolescents and Children with Antidepressants?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which country was the first to issue...

Question 17

Although electroconvulsive therapy was first used to treat schizophrenia, what is it now used to treat primarily?

Accepted Answer

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is now primarily used to treat severe depression, especially when other treatments have not been effective.

Question 18

What historically did the terms phenothiazines and neuroleptics describe?

Accepted Answer

Phenothiazines and neuroleptics historically described antipsychotic medications, which were used to treat psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.

Question 19

In 1933 who induced comas in some schizophrenic patients by administering insulin?

Accepted Answer

Manfred Sakel is credited with introducing insulin coma therapy for schizophrenia in the 1930s. This treatment involved inducing comas in patients through the administration of large doses of insulin.

Question 20

What did a study of the long-term effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs find?

Accepted Answer

Studies on the long-term effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs have found that a significant number of patients discontinue their medication within a relatively short period. Specifically, about three-fourths of patients stopped taking their medication within 18 months, often due to side effects, perceived lack of efficacy, or other reasons. This highlights the challenges in maintaining long-term treatment adherence in patients prescribed antipsychotic medications.

Quiz 8: Psychotherapeutic Drugs: Medication for Mental Disorders