biological approach to treating OCD

Question 1

drug therapy - SSRIs

Answer 1

increase levels of serotonin which regulates mood and anxiety. inhibits serotonin reabsorption into presynaptic neuron from synapse to increase levels of serotonin at synapse and increase stimulation to the postsynaptic neuron

Question 2

drug therapy - tricyclics

Answer 2

block transporter mechanism that reabsorbs serotonin and noradrenaline into presynaptic neuron after it has fired - more of the neurotransmitters are left in synapse, prolonging their activity and easing transmission of next impulse - have greater side effects

Question 3

drug therapy - benzodiazepines

Answer 3

react with GABA receptors on postsynaptic neurons to slow down activity of CNS by enhancing activity of GABA which when released has quietening effect on many neurons in brain - when GABA binds to receptors it increases flow of chloride ions into neurons which make it harder for neuron to be stimulated by other neurotransmitters - slowing down its activity and making person feel more relaxed

Question 4

evaluation - effectiveness

Answer 4

soomro et al - reviewed 17 studies of use of SSRIs with OCD patients and found them to be more effective than placebos in reducing symptoms up to 3 months after treatment.

but most studies are only 3-4 months’ duration - while they’re effective in the short term, lack of long term data is a limitation

Question 5

evaluation - drug therapies are preferred to other treatments

Answer 5

drug therapy requires little effort from user and little input in terms of time, while CBT requires patient to attend regular meetings and put considerable thought into tackling problems. drug therapies also cheaper for health service - require little monitoring and cost less than psychological treatments - drug therapies are more economical for health service than psychological therapies

Question 6

evaluation - publication bias

Answer 6

turner et al - claim there is evidence of publication bias towards studies that show positive outcome of antidepressant treatment thus exaggerating benefits of them

authors found that not only were positive results more likely to be published but studies that weren’t positive were published in a way that conveyed a positive outcome. drug companies have strong interest in continuing success of psychotherapeutic drugs and much of the research is funded by these companies

selective publication can lead to doctors making inappropriate treatment decisions that may not be in best interest of patient