Drug treatments

The recorded failure here. Scores nothing: "the tablets make Shaun happier" — it names no treatment or mechanism. Scores: name the SSRI and give its mode of action — it blocks serotonin's reuptake so more stays in the synapse. The trap: an SSRI does not add serotonin, it blocks reabsorption, so "it gives the brain more serotonin" is the wrong mechanism.

Short evaluation items are constant here, and identification without justification is the named failure. "A weakness is the side effects" is only a label. Explained: "the side effects arrive before the mood lifts, which means people feel worse and stop the tablets." Write the label, add "and this matters because…", then finish it.

Read the verb twice. A weakness says what is wrong with the treatment: "it does not address the cause, so relapse is likely." An improvement says what to do differently: "combine it with therapy." They are not interchangeable — an improvement given where a weakness was asked scores nothing. If it starts with "they should…", it is an improvement.

On an addiction-treatment question, do not slide into describing the addiction itself. On a features-of-addiction item the scheme wanted impaired control and similar, and "withdrawal symptoms" was not creditworthy. Withdrawal belongs here only as the thing a substitute drug prevents — part of the treatment's mechanism, not a feature of the addiction.

Opposite mechanisms — swap them and one drug becomes the other. A substitute (methadone) acts on the same receptors, preventing withdrawal. A blocker (naltrexone) occupies those receptors so the substance cannot act. For the difference, a connective ("whereas") earns the second mark; two definitions with no contrast score once.

A 2-mark describe wants two different points, not one reworded. "It has side effects" said two ways is one point and scores once. Pair points from different areas — for a substitute drug: (1) it acts on the same receptors so withdrawal is prevented, and (2) the dose is controlled and tapered. Two marks; check the second adds something new.

Three beliefs distort answers; each correction is worth AO3. "A drug cures it" — no, it relieves symptoms; it changes chemistry, not the cause, so relapse is common once it stops. "It works straight away" — no, an SSRI takes about 2-4 weeks, and side effects come first. "Stop when you feel better" — that shows it is working, not gone.