Evaluation

1. Evaluation Of the Physiological methods of stress management

2. STRENGTHS 1) Effectiveness Drugs can be very effective when fighting the effects of stress. One way to asses this effectiveness is to compare the outcomes Example Using an independent groups design, one group of anxious patients is given a drug while another is given a placebo (substance that has NO PHARMACOLOGICALeffects i.e. no effects on the body). The patients are unaware which medication they are given which enables us to determine whether the effectiveness of the drug is due to pharmacological properties OR to something psychological (i.e. the simple belief that consumption of the drug will make you better)

3. Case Studies Khan et al(1986) followed almost 250 patients over 8 weeks. Discovery- BZ’s were significantly superior to placebo. Hildago et al (2001)- Carried out a meta-analysis of studies focusing on the treatment of social anxiety Discovery- BZ’S were more effective at reducing anxiety than other drugs e.g. antidepressants Lockwood(1989)Studied over 2000 musicians in major US symphony orchestras and the effect beat blockers had on them Discovery- 27% reported taking beta-blockers. The musicians said they felt better about their performance after taking them and music critics judged their performance to be better. Beta-blockers are effective in reducing anxiety in stressful situations

4. 2)Ease of use • One of the great benefits of using drugs for stress is that the therapy requires little effort from the user. All you have to do is remember to take the pills. • This is much easier than the time and effort needed to use psychological methods. • For example, stress inoculation therapy requires a lot of time, effort and motivation on the part of the client if it is to be effective

5. WEAKNESSES • Addiction BZ’S were first introduced over 40 years ago, replacing an addictive drug called barbiturates which caused patients to suffer withdrawal symptoms when they stopped taking it, indicating psychological dependce. Only recently has it been discovered that BZ’S are addicitve, especially in low-dose cases. Patients that take low-doses of BZ’S have shown marked withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking them. Because of such addiction problems there is a recommendation that use of BZ’S be limited to a maximum of 4 weeks(Ashton1997)

6. 2)Side effects Side effects of BZ’s include “paradoxical” symptons( so-called because they are the opposite of what might be expected) such as an increased aggressiveness and cognitive side effects The cognitive side effects include, impairment of memory, especially the ability to store acquired knowledge in long-term memory. Most people who take beta-blockers do not experience any side effects however some studies have linked them with an increased risk of developmental diabetes.

7. 3)Treating the symptoms rather than the problems Drugs may be effective at treating symptoms but the effect only lasts for a while on a person. As soon as they stop taking the drugs, the effect ceases to help them. It may be that the problem has passed but in cases of chronic stress, it may not be appropriate to simply put a temporary bandage on the problem, especially if the treatment goes on to produce further problems of its own (e.g addiction) This means that it may be preferable to seek treatment that addresses the problem itself (i.e a psychological method) rather than one that just deals with the symptoms