biological approach to treating OCD: evaluation

Question 1

drugs therapy is effective at tackling OCD symptoms

Answer 1

there is clear evidence for the effectiveness of SSRIs in reducing the severity of OCD symptoms and so improving quality of life for OCD patients SOOMRO ET AL (2009) reviewed studies comparing SSRIs to placebos in the treatment of OCD and concluded that all 17 studies reviewed showed significantly better results for the SSRIs than for placebo conditions

the effectiveness s greatest when SSRIs are combined with psychological treatment, usually CBT
Typically symptoms decline significantly for around 70% of patients taking SSRIs

Of the remaining 30%, alternative drug treatments/combinations of drugs and psychological treatment will be effective for some

Therefore, drugs can help patients with OCD

Question 2

Drugs can have side - effects

Answer 2

although drugs like SSRIs are often helpful to suffer OCD, a significant minority will get no benefit

some patients also suffer side effects e.g. indigestion, blurred vision - the side effects are usually temporary

Clomipramine side effects are more common and more serious
1 out of 10 suffer tremors and weight gain
more than one in a hundred became aggressive and suffer disruption to blood pressure and heart rhythm

Question 3

drugs are cost-effective and non - disruptive

Answer 3

drugs are cheap compared to psychological treatments

using drugs to treat OCD is therefore good value for public health systems like the NHS

As compared to psychological therapies SSRIs are also non - disruptive to patients lives

If you wish you can simply take drugs until your symptoms decline and not engage with the hard work of psychological therapy
Many doctors and patients like drug treatment for these reasons

Question 4

some cases of OCD follow trauma

Answer 4

OCD is widely believed to be biological in origin
It makes sense, therefore, that the standard treatment should be biological

However, it is acknowledged that OCD can have a range of other causes and that in some cases it is a response to a traumatic life

This is a weakness of drug treatment for OCD as they ( the drug) may be used indiscriminately

On the other hand, there is no clear evidence that drugs are less effective and psychological therapies are more effective in cases that follow trauma