Biological - Treating OCD Flashcards
Drug Therapy - Neurotransmitters
1) Drug therapy for mental disorders aims to increase/decrease levels of neurotransmitters in the brain or to increase/decrease their activity.
2) Low levels of serotonin are associated with OCD.
Therefore drugs work in various ways to increase the level of serotonin in the brain.
Drug Therapy - SSRIs
1) SSRIs prevent the reabsorption and breakdown of serotonin in the brain.
2) This increases its levels in the synapse and thus serotonin continues to stimulate the postsynaptic neuron.
—> This compensates for whatever is wrong with the serotonin system in OCD.
Drug Therapy - SSRI with CBT
1) Drugs are often used alongside cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to treat OCD.
2) The drugs reduce a person’s emotional symptoms, such as feeling anxious or depressed. This means that they can engage more effectively with CBT.
Alternative to SSRI - Tricyclics
1) Tricyclics (antidepressants) such as clomipramine have same effects on the serotonin system as SSRIs but the side-effects can be more severe.
Alternative to SSRI - SNRIs
1) Recently, SNRIs have been used to treat OCD.
2) Like tricyclics these are a second line of defence for people who don’t respond to SSRIs.
SNRIs increase levels of serotonin as well as noradrenaline.
STRENGTH of Drug Therapy
EFFECTIVENESS
1) Researchers reviewed 17 studies of SSRIs for the treatment of OCD. All 17 studies showed better outcomes following SSRIs than placebos.
2) Typically OCD symptoms reduce for around 70% of people taking SSRIs.
—> This means that drugs can be of help to most people with OCD.
COUNTERPOINT:
1) Cognitive and behavioural (exposure therapies may be more effective than SSRIs in the treatment of OCD)
—> This means that drugs may not be the optimum treatment for OCD.
STRENGTH of Drug Therapy
DRUGS ARE COST-EFFECTIVE & NON-EFFECTIVE
1) A strength of drug treatments for psychological disorders in general is that they are cheap compared to psychological treatments. Using drugs to treat OCD is therefore good value for the NHS.
2) As compared to psychological
therapies, SSRIs are also non-disruptive to people’s lives. If you
wish you can simply take drugs until your symptoms decline
rather than spending time going to therapy sessions.
—> This means that many
doctors and people
with OCD prefer drug treatments.
LIMITATION of Drug Therapy
SERIOUS SIDE-EFFECTS
1) A minority of ppl taking SSRIs get no benefit. Some ppl also experience side-effects such as
indigestion, blurred vision and loss of sex drive (although these
side-effects are usually temporary).
2) For those taking clomipramine, side-effects are more common and can be more serious. More
than 1 in 10 ppl experience erection problems and weight
gain, 1 in 100 become aggressive.
—> This means that people’s
quality of life is poor and the outcome is they may stop taking the drugs altogether, reducing
the effectiveness of the treatment.
