9- Biological Treatments for OCD Flashcards
which kind of drugs can be used to successfully treat OCD?
- anti-anxiety
- anti-depressants
what anti-anxiety drug is most commonly used to reduce anxiety?
Benzodiazepines
how do Benzodiazepines work?
- slows down the central nervous system
- enhances activities of GABA neurotransmitter
- GABA opens a channel allowing more chloride ions
- chloride ions block other neurotransmitters slowing it down
name the two types of anti-depressants used for OCD?
- tricyclics
- SSRIs
what are tricyclics?
first antidepressant used for treating depression
how do tricyclics work?
- block the transporter mechanism which re-absorbs serotonin and noradrenaline into the pre-synaptic cell after it has fired
- more neurotransmitters are left in the synapse, prolonging their activity and easing transmissions into the next impulse
what are the strengths of tricyclics?
they target multiple neurotransmitters increasing the efficiency
what are the negatives of tricyclics?
they have worse side effects then the mental illness in some cases
what are SSRIs?
the most commonly used anti-depressant used for treating OCD, OCD can also be ‘caused’ by low levels of serotonin, so SSRIs help fix this problem
describe how SSRIs work
- they block the reuptake valves so serotonin cannot be recycled into the pre-synaptic nerve
- meaning it remains in the synaptic cleft for longer
- this gives it more time to effect the receptors on the postsynaptic neuron
- increasing the levels of serotonin normalise the circuit
what are the strengths of SSRIs?
- Good evidence effectiveness Soomro et al (2009) discovered good results HOWEVER they may not be helpful to everyone
- Cost-effective, cheap compared to psychological treatment
- Non disruptive, no psychologist needed
what are the limitations of SSRIs?
- serious side effects, in extreme cases
- biased evidence, people think the evidence is bias as researchers are sponsored by drug clinics
