Biological approach to treating OCD

Question 1

What is the definition of drug therapy?

Answer 1

• treatment involving drugs that have a particular effect on the functioning of the brain or some other body system
• such drugs only affect neurotransmitter levels when treating psychological disorders

Question 2

How are SSRI’s used to treat OCD?

Answer 2

They’re an anti-depressant - selective serotonin reputable inhibitors
Typically serotonin released across synapses to chemically convey a signal - then broke down & reabsorbed
By preventing reabsorption you compensate for the lower lvl of serotonin so treat OCD

Question 3

How can SSRI’s be taken?

Answer 3

Daily dosage of 20mg/day but more if not working
Liquids or capsules
3-4 months to have an effect

Question 4

How are CBT and SSRI’s used together?

Answer 4

Drugs reduce emotional symptoms so the patient can engage better with CBT
Some ppl better just CBT others SSRI’s - individual differences

Question 5

What are alternatives to SSRI’s ?

Answer 5

Tricyclics - older type of anti depressant - same as SSRI’s but with severe side effects
SNRI’s - selective serotonin noradrenaline reputable inhibitors - also prevent uptake of neurotransmitter noradrenaline

Question 6

What are the evaluation points for the biological approaches to treating OCD?

Answer 6

+ drug therapy is effective at tackling OCD -Soomro et al. 2009 - compared to placebos all SSRI’s studies came out better (17)
+ drugs are cost-effective and non-disruptive
-drugs can have side effects - indigestion & blurred vision etc. - reduce effectiveness bc ppl stop taking the medication