outline and evaluate one biological treatment for schizophrenia

Currently the most successful treatment for schizophrenia is the use of drugs to help balance the chemicals in the patients brain. Leading research on this particular illness has found that excess dopamine is a common factor causing schizophrenic symptoms. Therefore to counter symptoms such as auditory hallucinations or delusions of grandeur caused by this surge of dopamine, we must use a drug that antagonises dopamine. Antipsychotics work by blocking D2 receptors and some atypical versions of the drug also block serotonin receptors. This second form of antipsychotics is a more successful drug, due to the reduction of side effects that conventional antipsychotics caused. Tardive Dyskinesia, the loss of control over the movements from the mouth and face, is a nasty side effect that was caused by the antipsychotics blocking certain Dopamine receptor that was not necessary in prevention of schizophrenic symptoms. Atypical antipsychotics don't have this issue as they were created to overcome these side effects. Allowing Schizophrenics to have a successful biological treatment to their symptoms without worrying about struggling to function in daily life.