Biological Approach to Treat OCD

Question 1

What are the aim of drug therpay?

Answer 1

Restore biological inbalances such as too little seretontin

This is based on asumption of chemical imbalances

Question 2

What does SSRIs stand for?

Answer 2

Selective sertonin reuptake inhibitor

Question 3

How do SSRIs work out?

Answer 3

They prevent the reabsorboption and breakdown of seretonin in the brain

This increases its levels in synpase and thus seretonin continues to stimulate the postsynpatic neurone

This compensates for whatever is wrong with the seretonin synpase in OCDA

Question 4

What is tricylics (antidepressants)?

Answer 4

They have the same effect on seretonin system as SSRIs but side effects more servere

• Primarly used for OCD rhan depressan
• Block the mechanism that reabsorbs seretonin and noardenanline
• Target more than one neurtransmitter

Question 5

What is anti-antixtey drugs?

Answer 5

• Alternate to SSRIs
• Benzodiazepines (BZs e.g Valium) are commingly used to treat anxiety reduce by slowing down the acitvity of central nervous system by hancing the activity of neurotransmittwr GABA (regulates the excitment of nervous system)

*

Question 6

A strength of drug therpay is that it is effective at tackling OCD symtpons

Answer 6

• For example Soomro et al (2009) revieed studies comparing SSRIs to placebos in the treatment to OCD. All 17 studies showed significantly better results for SSRIs than placebo conditions
• Effective is greatest when SSRIs are combined with psychological treamtnet CBT
• Typically symptons reduce around 70% of paitents takung SSRIs are rest are helped by alternative drugs or CBT+ drugs. So drugs help most paitents with OCD

Question 7

Another strength

drugs are cost-effective and non-disruptive

Answer 7

• A strength of drug treatments in general is that they are cheap compared to psychological treatments using durgs to treat OCD and good value of NHS
• As compared to psychological therapies SSRIs are also non-disruptive to paitent’s lives. if you wish ou can simply take drugs until your symptons decline and not engage with hard work of psychological therapy
• Many doctors and paitents like drug treatmwnt for these reasons

Question 8

A limitation

Drugs can have side effects

Answer 8

• Although drugs such as SSRIs help most peoplea small minioritty get no benefit. Some paitent also have to suffer side-effects such as indigestion , blurred vision and loss of sex drive (although side effects are temporary)
• For those taking Clomipramine - tricylics side effects are common and can be serious/ 1 in 10 suffer erecetion problem weight gain and become aggressive
• Such factors reduce effectiveness and people stop taking medication

Question 9

Limitation

some OCD follow trauma

Answer 9

• OCD is widely believed to be biological in origin and it makes sense therefore the standard treatment should be biological
• However it is acknowledged that OCD have a range of other causes and in some cases response to trauma event
• It may not be appropriate to use drugs when treating cases when follow a trauma when psychological treatments provide best opnion