Bio. Approach to Treating OCD^

Question 1

Drug Therapy

Answer 1

• aims to change the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain
• OCD
  : low levels of serotonin
  : increase the serotonin levels

Question 2

SSRIs

Answer 2

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibators
• serotonin gets reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron and is broken down
• SSRIs stops the uptake of the serotonin
  : allows it to transport and take effect

Question 3

Combining SSRIs

Answer 3

• Cog. Beh. Therapy
• SSRis treat symptoms
• CBT tackle real cause
• Client Preference
  : effect varies
  :prefer combination of SSRIs and CBT

Question 4

Effectiveness of SSRIs Varies

Answer 4

• different causes/ severity
• other condtions that might interfere
• on other medication can work against each other
• build tolerance

Question 5

Issues with SSRIs

Answer 5

• treat symptoms instead of cause
• side effects
• may not be compatible with other medication

Question 6

Tricyclics

Answer 6

• same as SSRIs, older
  : more severe side effects
• back up

Question 7

Noradrenaline

Answer 7

fight or flight

Question 8

SNRIs

Answer 8

-Serotonin Noradrenaline reuptake inhibiters
- increase serotonin and noradrenaline (triciclyst)

Question 9

Evidence for Effectiveness

Answer 9

• Socmro et la
  : meta analysis
  : SSRIs effective compared to placebo group
• SSRIs reduce the symptoms and improve people’s lifes
• drugs are helpful

Question 10

VS Evidence for Effectiveness

Answer 10

• there are more effective treatments
• Skapinakis et al
  : cog and beh therapies are more effective
• alternative methods should also be used
  :tackle the cause not symptoms
• drug therapy should not be 1st responce

Question 11

Biased Evidence

Answer 11

• research support may be false
• Goldarce
  :sponsored by drug companies can make some results biased for funding
• could be neg. research not published due to wanting funds
• drug therapy should be questioned

Question 12

Serious Side Effects

Answer 12

• indegestion, blurred vision, loss of sex drive
• drugs have the potential to depriment life
• drug therapy can cause more pain than good

Question 13

Cost - Effective & Non - Disturptive

Answer 13

• cheap and not a major inconveniece
• tablet, no supervision
• more convenient compared to other therapies
  : requires effort and attending sessions
• drugs are more popular