Bio. Approach to Treating OCD^

Question 1

Drug Therapy

Answer 1

Aims to change the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain
OCD
- 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
Antagonistic effects – taking other medication alongside it can have bad effects
Relapse – stop taking the drugs, start with OCD again

Question 6

Tricyclics

Answer 6

Same as SSRIs, older
- more severe side effects
- back up

Question 7

SNRIs

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Evidence for Effectiveness

Answer 8

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

Question 9

VS Evidence for Effectiveness

Answer 9

There are more effective treatments
Skapinakis et al
- cog and beh therapies are more effective
Alternative methods should also be used that tackle the cause not symptoms
drug therapy should not be 1st responce

Question 10

Biased Evidence

Answer 10

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 11

Serious Side Effects

Answer 11

Indigestion, blurred vision, loss of sex drive
Drugs have the potential to detriment life
Drug therapy can cause more pain than good

Question 12

Cost - Effective & Non - Disruptive

Answer 12

Cheap and not a major inconvenience
Tablet, no supervision
More convenient compared to other therapies
- As it doesn’t require effort and attending sessions = cheaper
Drugs are more popular